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Debut Overdose Awareness Day is Aug. 28 in Austin Park

By Billie Owens

Press release:

As many of you may know, the family, loved ones, and allies of the GOW Opioid Task Force are hard at work planning the first-ever Overdose Awareness Day for the GOW community from 4 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday Aug. 28th at Austin Park, Batavia.

This event will be a special time for the community to come together to raise awareness, share information, and support each other as a community. We will be having local area speakers, live music, FREE Narcan training, a kid’s zone, and food, and much more!

If you are interested in having a table at the event please complete the Vendor Table Registration Form and send it to Sue Gagne -- Family, Loved Ones, and Allies Work Group co-chair -- by 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug.17. Email it to her at: sgagne@gcasa.org

For more information, be sure to visit the website at: www.gowopioidtaskforce.org

We look forward to seeing our communities come together to continue to bring awareness to those in our families and community struggling with substance use disorder.

Police Assisted Addiction Recovery Initiative launches on Tuesday, more help for those who are struggling

By Billie Owens

Press release:

As the opioid epidemic continues to distress our community, local agencies are coming together to offer more services to those in need.

“Last fall, 24 counties in New York State, including Genesee, that are deemed ‘opioid burdened’ received funds from the CDC and New York State Department of Health to take local action to address the epidemic,” said Paul Pettit, Public Health director for Genesee and Orleans counties.

“After looking at our current services and speaking with local partners we wanted to launch an innovative program we learned about a few months earlier during a GOW Opioid Task Force meeting where Police Chief Volkman from Chatham spoke about the Police Assisted Addiction Recovery Initiative, more easily known as PAARI (pronounced PARR-REE).

"Using the funding to bring the successful approach of this program from Chatham into Genesee, will allow those who want to get into substance use treatment a 24/7 opportunity by going to one of the partnering first-responder agencies for help.”

The PAARI program will launch locally on Tuesday, April 23rd.

It will allow anyone who wants help with their addiction to walk into any police station or the city fire station and get the help they need. The program is supported by City of Batavia Police, City of Batavia Fire Department, Le Roy Police, and Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.

“The funds will help pay for overtime that will likely be incurred by staff of Public Safety agencies, as well as help pay for peer recovery coaches from Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (GCASA) that will be contacted once a person seeking treatment walks through the door," Pettit said.

"GCASA is an equally important partner in this, as they have hired the peer recovery coaches, who have been trained in providing services in the community early after receiving these funds.

"The peers will work with each individual and identify where they can go for the proper services,regardless of if it’s local or not, and make sure they get there. Ultimately, being a support in that moment and in the future, too. This program highlights the commitment and collaboration of our community partners to help address this crisis.”

GC Sheriff William A. Sheron Jr. agrees with Pettit regarding the collaboration of our first responders and the commitment to help address the opioid epidemic.

“This is a good collaboration between police, fire and the public," Sheron said. "I fully support the program and hope it will help people get the treatment services they need.”

For more information or for immediate help, please call GCASA’s peer services hotline at (585) 815-1800.

Free training offered to become Peer Recovery Coach

By Billie Owens
From the GOW Opioid Task Force:
 
The GOW (Genesee, Orleans, Wyoming) Opioid Task Force is excited to announce the opportunity to become a Peer Recovery Coach.
 
This training has been grant funded by the Health Resources and Service Administration and therefore is FREE.
 
Trainees should have a high school diploma or equivalent and lived experience is preferred -- in recovery, affected family member, experience working in the SUD/Recovery field.
 
Training is six-weeks in length (46 hours total) and you must commit to completing the program. Space is limited!
 
Training will take place at the Lake Plains Community Care Network at 575 E. Main St. in Batavia. Please check out the website and flier for more information here.
 
As part of the Community Based Recovery Support Training Project, training is offered to a select group of committed community members seeking to achieve NYS Peer Recovery Professional Certification.
 
This enables them to serve families and individuals affected by Substance Abuse Disorder with evidence-based recovery supports, skills and strategies.
 
The workshop facilitators are Lori Drescher (CARC, RCP) and Keith Greer (LCSW, PCC, PRC), who are professional coaches, recovery advocates and facilitators with a combined 55 years of experience.
 
If you have specific questions please contact Charlotte Crawford at ccrawford@lakeplains.org or by phone 585-345-6110.

Two FREE Teen Intervene Trainings offered; deadline for one is July 22

By Billie Owens

Press release from the Mental Health Association of Genesee County

Two FREE Teen Intervene Trainings are being offered soon. Six-and-a-half clock hours can be earned for initial credentialing for CPS and CPP (secion 2), CPS & CPP renewal, or CASAC renewal.

These are being offered by GCASA, Northpointe Council, Inc., and Partners for Prevention, in collaboration with the WNY Prevention Resource Center.

Dates are: (Option 1) 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 29 (RSVP by July 22) at the Dibble Family Event Center, 4110 W. Main Street Road, Batavia, or (Option 2) 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 2 at the Millennium Buffalo Hotel, 2040 Walden Ave., Buffalo (McKinley Room) (RSVP by Aug. 25).

To register, obtain and complete a registration form from Cheri Kelly, MS, CPP, Northpointe Council, Inc., 800 Main St., Niagara Falls, NY 14301. Fax: (716) 282-1238. Phone (716) 282-1228. E-mail:  ckelly@northpointecouncil.org

Teen Intervene is an evidence-based program for teenagers (12 to 19 years old) suspected of experiencing mild or moderate problems associated with alcohol or other drug use. The program can also include their parents or guardians. Teen Intervene integrates the stages of change model, motivational interviewing, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

This program can be administered in two or three sessions. It is designed for professionals, including prevention specialists, teachers, school counselors, social workers, psychologists, and other youth-serving professionals.

GCASA official suggests agency being captured by government to promote 'social control'

By Howard B. Owens

Interesting post from David G. Markham on the GCASA Cares blog.

We've seen comments before from readers on The Batavian that suggest that the criminal justice system is in cahoots with GCASA just to funnel substance abusers into the program to subsidize GCASA's payroll, at taxpayer expense, of course.

Markham's post suggests that there is a different attitude at GCASA.

It has been impressed on me once again that self destructive behavior should not be equated with criminal behavior. Most of the clients I evaluated were sent by the criminal justice system or other governmental bodies such as the Department of Social Services, the Department of Motor Vehicles, Probation, the courts, etc. The health care system for substance abuse disorders has been captured by government to coerce behaviors which government has determined is in its own best interest and not necessarily in the individual's. What Michel Foucault calls "governmentality" increasingly deprives individuals from their freedom. There is a fine line between whether agencies like GCASA are health care agencies whose mission is to help individuals improve their health or coercive agents of social control. It looks to me like 75% of GCASA's services are designed to exert social control and the client's right to self determination is marginalized if respected at all.

Markham has recently had to put more time into the Albion office because of the recent departure of three counselors. He's been buried in government-mandated paperwork that he says has nothing to do with ensuring good outcomes for patients.

Regulatory agencies have no viable means of measuring beneficial treatment and good outcomes, so they rely on compliance with paperwork completion as a proxy. This is a false assumption, and a dangerous way of evaluating quality care.

It sounds like something is broken in the system.

For further reading, and it's not light reading, here's the Wikipedia entry on governmentality.

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