Radio - Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition

Sep

2021

WLEN Interview with Recovery Coach Samantha Hollingsworth

Woman’s Voice: The Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition is a diverse group of dedicated community members united around the goal of reducing substance use in Lenawee County. LSAPC members work collaboratively to engage and educate the community in order to promote a healthy Lenawee.

Kathy Williams: This is Kathy Williams and with me on tonight’s program is Samantha Hollingsworth and Samantha and I are going to be talking a little bit about the month of September and that it is National Recovery month. And Samantha is a recovery coach at Pathways here in Adrian. And Samantha, thank you for taking time to come and talk with us for one thing.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Oh, no problem.

Kathy Williams: So let’s talk a little bit about your journey. You know, how did your journey start?

Samantha Hollingsworth: Okay. Well, I was the typical teenager that experimented with some alcohol and stuff my junior year on spring break, but my real issue with substances started when I had some back surgeries and with the pain medication. I followed the prescription and took things as they were prescribed in the beginning, and then as I became tolerant to it and stressful situations came about, I started dosing myself and taking more and more and more, and getting prescriptions from different doctors, and it just spiraled out of control, and more and more pills, and it just…

Kathy Williams: Yup. You know, not an uncommon story.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Right.

Kathy Williams: Really. I mean so many people fall down that same pathway, and it’s hard: when you’re in pain you grasp at anything to get you out of it.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Oh yes, yes.

Kathy Williams: And so, of course you’re out. You’re out of it now.

Samantha Hollingsworth: I’m out of it.

Kathy Williams: I know. I’m so excited that you shared with me you got your anniversary coming up.

Samantha Hollingsworth: I do. Saturday.

Kathy Williams: 7 years.

Samantha Hollingsworth: 7 years.

Kathy Williams: Congratulations to you.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Thank you.

Kathy Williams: What helped you decide then to get involved in becoming a coach, a recovery coach?

Samantha Hollingsworth: Well, I went through the system. I ended up getting in some trouble. I lost my children, and that was my rock bottom. I, I went to jail, probation, inpatient treatment. I left inpatient treatment, went into transitional housing.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Samantha Hollingsworth: A friend of mine got me into church, and I just knew I had to give back. I lost a sister to heroin and I knew that I just had to do something. It became… I started to see it was a epidemic and I just knew I could do something with it. And I started seeing everything around me, you know, all these people falling down to it. And, and I was like, “I know, I can do something”. And when I learned about there was classes you could take and become a recovery coach, I knew that was something I wanted to do.

Kathy Williams: Yeah, I think it… you know, it’s, it’s a blessing that you found that calling.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Yes.

Kathy Williams: Cuz so many people don’t, don’t find it. They aren’t able to pull themselves out of their spiral downhill. And so, I’m sure that you, you know, from going through the classes and everything you learned so much more about how you got where you were.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Yes. Yes. And I learned too that there was a reason I had to experience all that crud I went through.

Kathy Williams: Yeah, it’s a God thing.

Samantha Hollingsworth: It is, it is. It really is.

Kathy Williams: So, how do you, do you find that through your training and of course, through your own life experience, that brings a lot to the table when you’re trying to help someone else that’s going through it.

Samantha Hollingsworth: It does. It does. And it’s so rewarding because I’ve been at Pathways since before we opened the doors, since that building was nothing.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Samantha Hollingsworth: And I’m so thankful and I’ve watched it grow and I’ve been there since… I mean, when we first opened, it took months before the first person walked through the door.

Kathy Williams: Right.

Samantha Hollingsworth: And so, to see where we are now, it’s so, it’s, it’s so great to see. But just to sit around the table and to have consumers come in, and to see them where I used to be?

Kathy Williams: Right.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Just to share, you know, what you can be here too.

Kathy Williams: Right.

Samantha Hollingsworth: You can be a recovery coach, just look. You know, and just to give them that hope. And then they get that spark in their eyes.

Kathy Williams: Yes.

Samantha Hollingsworth: You know, you can be here. And they’re so much more comfortable talking to us. They’re not being judged in this environment and they’re just… they’re happy to be there. They constantly tell us “this is great”. It’s, it’s an environment where it’s like, you’re at home, it’s a living room setting. There’s a kitchen. They can shower. It’s just like, it’s so comfortable for them. And they, they love being there.

Kathy Williams: Well, and I would think even for people that are maybe not as extroverted, but you know, more introverted, they are learning things though, that they can also then share, inadvertently sometimes, with other people that are in the same situation. They may not think of themselves as coaches, but but you’re helping to inspire them, for sure.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Yes, for sure. And it’s so nice to have them come back in and just drop-in and let us know how they’re doing.

Kathy Williams: Right, Right. I love the, the follow-up

Samantha Hollingsworth: Yes.

Kathy Williams: You know, and then, of course, as they’re coming out of it, they’re proud of their accomplishments, and it’s nice to have someone else reinforcing that they, that they are accomplishing something one day at a time.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Yes. Yes, for sure.

Kathy Williams: So Samantha, remind our listeners then where Pathways is and when the hours of operation are.

Samantha Hollingsworth: We’re downtown across from Huntington Bank at 211 West Maumee.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Samantha Hollingsworth: We’re open Monday through Friday, 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., and then Friday night when we open it’s 8 p.m. through Monday: we’re open 24/7. We also have a Facebook page that we’re pretty active on. You can see what time our SMART Recovery meetings are. You can also call. If no one answers if it’s during the downtime, then we returned your phone call as soon as we can.

Kathy Williams: Well Samantha, we thank you so much for coming and talking to us and wish you all the best in the future, really proud of your accomplishments.

Samantha Hollingsworth: Well thank you so much.

Kathy Williams: You’re welcome.

Woman’s Voice: Thank you for listening. This information has been provided by the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. Supported by funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration. New messages air on the first and third Monday of each month at 6:15 p.m. You can listen to this program as a podcast under the audio tab on WLEN.com and listen and gather more information at DrugPreventionLenawee.com.

Sep

2021

WLEN Interview with Recovery Coach Stefanie Fite

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Kathy Williams: This is Kathy Williams and with me on tonight’s program is Stefanie Fite. And we’re going to be talking about the fact that this month is National Recovery month and Stefanie has a history with some substance abuse stuff, you know. First off, we appreciate your being here and sharing your story with us.

Stefanie Fite: Oh, yes, definitely glad to be here. Thank you.

Kathy Williams: So, tell me about how things went wrong for you. When did this all start?

Stefanie Fite: You know, I started drinking at the age of 15. A couple years, you know later I started with other drugs. I ended up in rehab at the age of 23.

Kathy Williams: Wow.

Stefanie Fite: After rehab, you know, I got clean and sober, then started drinking again, probably for the next 12 years, but I only stayed with the alcohol. So, I thought that I was living a life in recovery because I was away from my drug of choice but continued to drink.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Stefanie Fite: Became an alcoholic.

Kathy Williams: Oh gosh.

Stefanie Fite: At the age of 32, I went back to my drug of choice. Used heavy with my drug of choice and alcohol, in and out of recovery, all the way till the age of 40. What I started to notice was I distanced myself from my children, my parents, lost relationships, made poor choices. Ended up in two hospitals, four rehabs, you know, and ended up finally finding recovery.

Kathy Williams: Okay. Well, and you know, your story is similar to a lot of other people, so can you tell me what exactly is considered recovery?

Stefanie Fite: Well, you know, I have something here that I kind of put together on what recovery is because a lot of people, you know, have different views on what recovery is. Recovery is a process, a change, you know, in which individuals they improve their health and their wellness. You know, they live a self-directed life and they strive to reach their full potential. People, you know, find their full potential in recovery.

Kathy Williams: Right.

Stefanie Fite: Recovery is living a life and recovering from something that is no longer impacting their life like old trauma, having lifestyle changes. Recovery is gaining your self-confidence, you know, getting a support system, recovering from your substance abuse. Sobriety or abstinence from alcohol and other drugs.

Kathy Williams: Right.

Stefanie Fite: Recovery may be the best word to summarize all the positive benefits: the physical, mental, social health that can happen when alcohol and other drug dependent individuals get the help that they need. And that’s where we come in.

Kathy Williams: Exactly. And so, you are a peer recovery coach and now, why did you decide to become a coach then?

Stefanie Fite: You know, because there is life after addiction.

Kathy Williams: Right.

Stefanie Fite: You know, people need to see that you are worth it. You do have value. You know, people do love you: you know your family, your children, your… whether it’s your aunt, your uncle, it’s just you know, your family, people like that. And sharing your story is important because you see that you can relate to somebody.

Kathy Williams: Right.

Stefanie Fite: And educating people on the different pathways to recovery: you know, there’s, there’s AA, there’s NA, there’s SMART Recovery…

Kathy Williams: So much help out there.

Stefanie Fite: So much help and when you become a coach and you talk to people, when they see that you’re relating to them and they’re like “Oh. You can see what I’ve been through” and you know… the trauma you know, whichever situation whatever, that got that person to use or to drink or whichever path that they took, and you relate to them, it helps them to see that recovery is possible.

Kathy Williams: You know, I totally agree to that. It’s, you know, similar situations. They can see you made it through…

Stefanie Fite: Yes.

Kathy Williams: It helps give them a little more encouragement that they can probably make it through it also. So, if our listeners are interested in finding out more information, or maybe they’re interested in becoming a coach as well. How can they get that information?

Stefanie Fite: Okay, we do have a few different ways. There is some training. So, we have a Facebook page through Pathways. If you go to Pathways Recovery Engagement Center Facebook page, there will be a listing of trainings available which is called the CCAR. It’s C C A R which actually stands for Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery. Also, the LCMHA.org which is Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority. There’s also a listing of training of the certificates for the CCAR, on Catholic Charities of Lenawee County. We have tons of resources, resources, excuse me, for the State of Michigan training for the Certified Peer Support Coach.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Stefanie Fite: Different trainings, there’s so much training you can take for this. You know, there’s Motivational Interviewing, just different ways to help you communicate with people, you know, cuz some people just want someone to listen.

Kathy Williams: Well, I think that tends to be the most important part.

Stefanie Fite: Yeah.

Kathy Williams: And by having a listening ear who has had the similar struggles, they probably feel validated a little more in what they’re saying.

Stefanie Fite: Exactly.

Kathy Williams: And so, you know, we definitely want to encourage people to reach out, you know, if you, whether it’s you or you have a friend or family member that needs some help, these are great resources to help put you or them on a path to recovery.

Stefanie Fite: Exactly.

Kathy Williams: Well, we really appreciate your spending your time with us, Stefanie and we want to wish you of course, we’ll pray for your continued success.

Stefanie Fite: Oh, thank you very much. I’m so glad to be here. Thank you.

Kathy Williams: You’re welcome.

Aug

2021

WLEN Interview with LCMHA / Pathways Engagement Center Program Manager Kellie Niese

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Kathy Williams: This is Kathy Williams. And with me on tonight’s program is Kellie Niese. We’re going to be talking about an upcoming event called the Day of HOPE that’s happening the end of August. And Kellie is the HRSA Recovery Coordinator, and so she’s been in charge of this huge event. And Kellie, I know it started out small, but it’s getting bigger…

Kellie Niese: It did. This all generated from work that I’m doing to get Narcan out and the community educated and get Narcan in their hands, where I thought I was going to set up a little table and hand it out downtown. And then I’m just overwhelmed with how many community partners wanted to be a part of this event. So, it’s turned into the Day of HOPE which stands for…

Kathy Williams: Health Ownership, Prevention, & Education.

Kellie Niese: Yes.

Kathy Williams: And so, you’re going to have all kinds of different booths there, different local organizations that are all promoting owning your own health and helping with prevention and education as far as drug and alcohol abuse.

Kellie Niese: That’s right, it’s addressing substance use disorder as well as behavioral health issues. And it really is a collaborative in our community where we’re working to promote overall individual wellness and tools for people and resources for people to help them be well. So things like Narcan, obviously that’s what started it all…

Kathy Williams: Right.

Kellie Niese: The Mobile Recovery Unit, which is literally what it sounds like – a mobile clinic to help people with health care needs as well as addiction needs. And they are going to be there for a meet and greet so you can kind of take a tour of the bus and meet them. WLEN is going to be there at the event so it should be fun. And we’re hoping to get other community partners like massage therapy, yoga instruction, anything that you can think of that promotes overall Wellness.

Kathy Williams: I think that’s great that a lot of the local businesses are also wanting to come on board, aside from the nonprofits. I mean, the nonprofits, we tend to help each other, we try to make sure that there’s not duplication of services, and things like that, but I think it’s going to be exciting to see the different local businesses that are going to participate that are promoting healthy lifestyles: healthy eating, healthy products that they sell, you know, all those kind of things.

Kellie Niese: Right, right. Because overall health is complicated and it takes a lot of factors to maintain your health. So, we want to kind of put that all on display for folks that may not know all of these opportunities and places are around in our community.

Kathy Williams: Yep.

Kellie Niese: So, for example, Pathways will be there, peer recovery coaches will be there – you can meet them, learn what they’re all about. And then we’ll have things like food trucks for people to eat and enjoy everyone’s company. So, I’m really excited about this coming up because I think, I feel like substance use is something that’s kind of put in the corners of the community sometimes. So, we’re putting it out there, shining light on it, and showing that there’s hope and that there is a pathway to wellness.

Kathy Williams: I think they’re going to find mind, body, spirit.

Kellie Niese: Yes.

Kathy Williams: We’re going to encompass the whole person in all the different levels of addiction that you might be in, and even for people that aren’t in an addiction position, but just need that little of bit extra compassion for whatever their journey is.

Kellie Niese: Right. The goal is to connect all the dots for people, right? And so even there, you know, CMH will be there with the e-Race: you can sign up for the e-Race the Stigma, which I think this event really does address stigma.

Kathy Williams: Right.

Kellie Niese: And again, lets people know that there’s hope out there which is the message we really want to put in our title and like extend to everyone that visits us.

Kathy Williams: That’s why it’s called a Day of HOPE.

Kellie Niese: That’s right!

Kathy Williams: So, the event itself then is happening August 31st, and Kellie, it will be going on from what, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. it looks like?

Kellie Niese: Right. 2 to 6.

Kathy Williams: How will they be able to find out additional information?

Kellie Niese: I just want to add that August 31st is National Overdose Awareness Day. So that’s really the, what started this whole event, is we wanted to acknowledge that. For people that are interested in coming to the event, you can contact customer service at CMH at 263-8905.

Kathy Williams: And you said that about the Overdose Day and that’s why the Narcan was so important…

Kellie Niese: Right.

Kathy Williams: That started the whole thing.

Kellie Niese: That started the whole thing.

Kathy Williams: Because that is an essential part sometimes for stopping deaths.

Kellie Niese: It’s absolutely life-saving. Life-saving. It can have an immediate impact and save someone’s life and give them hope of rehab and recovery.

Kathy Williams: Also, they can find updates at DrugPreventionLenawee.com on the LSAPC site. So, Kellie, appreciate your time, appreciate all the work you’re putting into the Day of Hope. And again, it’s August 31^st.

Kellie Niese: 2 to 6.

Kathy Williams: Thanks again.

Kellie Niese: Thank you.

Aug

2021

WLEN Interview with LCMHA / Pathways Engagement Center Program Manager Kellie Niese & Program Coordinator Christy Brugger

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Kathy Williams: This is Kathy Williams. In with me on tonight’s program is Kellie Niese. She is the program manager at Pathways along with Christy Brugger, who is a program coordinator with Pathways, and obviously, we are going to be talking about Pathways. So ladies, thank you for meeting with me today.

Kellie Niese & Christy Brugger: Thank you for having us.

Kathy Williams: So, let’s talk about Pathways. It’s a program that’s offered through the Lenawee Community Mental Health? Or is it a separate entity?

Kellie Niese: No, it’s part of Lenawee Community Mental Health. We are completely grant funded, and we serve community members that have substance use disorder issues, and we connect them to resources and services in our area.

Kathy Williams: So, how long has the program been around?

Christy Brugger: Pathways has been open for 4 years.

Kathy Williams: And it serviced quite a few people in that time, I would imagine.

Christy Brugger: Absolutely.

Kathy Williams: Have you found more usage with the whole pandemic and the shutdowns and everything last year?

Christy Brugger: In the beginning, people were not reaching out, I don’t think. So, it was very, very slow. And I think that were, there was just a lot of fear, and then little by little, as time has gone-by, more people have been coming in.

Kathy Williams: So, you have an actual physical location then for Pathways, correct?

Christy Brugger: Yes. We are at 211 West Maumee Street.

Kathy Williams: And what are the hours that people can stop in there? Or do they need to make appointments? How does that..?

Christy Brugger: Nope, no appointment is necessary. We open at 8 p.m. every evening and we stay open until 8 a.m. And then on Friday nights, we open at 8 p.m. and we stay open 24 hours and close at 8 a.m. Monday morning.

Kathy Williams: Pathways itself then is a stopgap for when other support organizations are not available.

Christy Brugger: Yes.

Kathy Williams: And what kind of services then do they focus on there?

Christy Brugger: Putting people in charge of their recovery. So, everybody that works there is a person in long-term recovery. And you essentially just come in whenever you’d like and talk about what you want your recovery to look like.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Christy Brugger: Maybe you need inpatient, residential, maybe you just need outpatient, or you’re looking for meetings that you would like to go to.

Kathy Williams: So, are these people that are currently in crisis, or currently experiencing drug use and alcohol use, or are they already through their withdrawal symptoms, things like that? Where do they fall in here?

Christy Brugger: All of the above.

Kathy Williams: Okay!

Christy Brugger: So, we have people that come in absolutely in crisis, needing to be signed up for insurance to get into detox. And we also have people that are just doing very well in their recovery: they just want to come in and we’re just a safe place to land.

Kathy Williams: Do they have counselors then or what kind of support do they get when they’re there?

Christy Brugger: Everybody who works at Pathways is a peer recovery coach.

Kathy Williams: Okay. And what does that involve?

Christy Brugger: They have either gone through the State of Michigan training or they’ve gone through CCAR, which is the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery. And that’s a week-long intensive training program.

Kathy Williams: Okay, well, it seems to me that it makes sense to have peers because they have been where these people that are looking for help are – trying to get out of their situations. Do those recovery coaches then build bonds with the people they’re helping?

Christy Brugger: Absolutely. I think that most of the peers there build great rapport with people who are coming in. So, we might have people who come in that are in crisis and then six months later they come back and say “Thank you. I’m doing well. Look at me now.”

Kathy Williams: Okay, great.

Christy Brugger: We love that.

Kathy Williams: How is the connection then with the community, with law enforcement, things like that? Are you having any issues that way or..?

Kellie Niese: No, we have partnerships with the Sheriff’s department where currently we work with them with a re-entry program with medication-assisted treatment. We connect to inmates that are getting released and connect them to services in the community. And when I say “we” I mean a peer does.

Kathy Williams: Right.

Kellie Niese: And we have a lot of, all the substance use disorder providers in our area, we work closely with them. We work with the Drug and Treatment Court and the Sobriety Court as well. So, we’re kind of connected to a lot of different community partners to catch people that have substance use disorder where they’re at.

Kathy Williams: No, I love that idea, that with the other organizations, then you’re able to do a little bit better wrap-around recovery. It seems to me that someone that’s probably in crisis, may not even realize what kind of help is available to them. And so what is the best way that they can find out more information or maybe their family member or friend can find out information for them on how to get involved in this program?

Kellie Niese: Right. I’ll just add, it takes a whole community to address those problems, so it’s so great that we have community partners. For those in crisis, you can reach Pathways Engagement Center. We’re open after 8 p.m. every night and our number is 920-4416. Or you can call the crisis line at Lenawee Community Mental Health. And that number is 263-8905.

Kathy Williams: And is there an online component where they can go get information?

Kellie Niese: Sure. Pathways has a Facebook page where we like to promote and share how to connect with us and any events that were engaged with in the community.

Kathy Williams: There you go. Well, thank you so much. Christy, Kellie, appreciate all the information on Pathways and we want to thank you for all you do in our community.

Christy Brugger: Thanks for having us.

Kellie Niese: Thank you,

Woman’s Voice: Thank you for listening. This information has been provided by the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. New messages air on the first and third Monday of each month at 6:15 p.m. You can listen to this program as a podcast under the audio tab on WLEN.com and listen and gather more information at DrugPreventionLenawee.com.

Jul

2021

WLEN Interview with LCMHA / Pathways Engagement Center Program Manager Kellie Niese

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Woman’s Voice: The Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition is a diverse group of dedicated community members united around the goal of reducing substance use in Lenawee County. LSAPC members work collaboratively to engage and educate the community in order to promote a healthy Lenawee.

Kathy Williams: I’m Kathy Williams. And with me on tonight’s program is Kellie Niese. And Kellie is the program manager for Pathways Engagement Center and she’s also the recovery coordinator with the HRSA grant. Kellie, one of the things we want to talk about tonight, though is about Naloxone. Can you tell us what is Naloxone? How does it work? And why would we need it?

Kellie Niese: Okay, well those are all good questions. So, Naloxone is the long name for Narcan basically. And so some folks might be more familiar with Narcan in the sense that it is used by First Responders and every day folks to reverse an opiate overdose.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Kellie Niese: Narcan you can get by prescription from your provider, but all these grants now in our community are funding free community education and distribution of Narcan. And Pathways Engagement Center peers are trained to do that education, and we also are providing people with free Narcan kits. So why would you need Narcan? Some people have an image in their head that it’s just for heroin use or people that overdose on illicit drugs. But actually, anyone that has prescribed opiates should probably have Narcan in their home. Even if you’ve taken a steady dose for years, sometimes your health condition can change and a normal dose can all of a sudden be metabolized differently.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Kellie Niese: And you can have an oversensitive reaction. So having someone trained in how to use Narcan and having Narcan on hand can literally save a loved one’s life. Also, if you have it in your home and you have kids or anyone coming to visit, one of the number one ways people use drugs and kids use drugs is they find them in medicine cabinets. And so, if you have opiates in your home, or you have teenagers in your home, having Narcan on hand can save a life. And so what a great opportunity we have that we have this in our community that you can come by Pathways and get some free education and get a free kit. And we’ll also be doing Narcan education and distribution in the community. Our first event is August 31st in downtown Adrian at the Farmers Market.

Kathy Williams: Okay. So does Narcan have a shelf life, kind of like an EpiPen would or..?

Kellie Niese: It does. There’s an expiration date on the bottle, but essentially it’s good for 2-3 years.

Kathy Williams: Oh, okay.

Kellie Niese: And it comes in a nice kind of cooler kit that keeps it at room temperature because it can’t be exposed to really cold or hot temperatures. And the kit also comes with like a first aid mask, some instructions – just in case you forget how to use Narcan. But the cool thing about Narcan is it’s pretty benign. What I mean by that is if you administer it to someone that may not have an opiate overdose, and might’ve just collapsed, it’s not going to hurt them.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Kellie Niese: It’s not going to hurt a child if they take it. And we have the kind that goes in just through a nose pump, just one quick nose pump through your nose.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Kellie Niese: And literally can reverse an overdose within minutes.

Kathy Williams: So, you said again this is available at the Pathways Center. People can stop in anytime? Do they need to make an appointment or anything?

Kellie Niese: Nope, Pathways is open every day, Monday through Friday, 8 p.m. to 8 a.m….

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Kellie Niese: And 24 hours over the weekend. We also have a phone number 920-4416 that you can reach a Peer Recovery Coach at after 8 p.m..

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Kellie Niese: And they can talk to you about coming in and getting that, or answering any questions about substance use that you may have, or just be someone to talk to. But you can literally just drop in. You don’t need insurance, you don’t need any money, you just need an interest to learn and maybe a desire to save someone’s life one day.

Kathy Williams: That’s a wonderful desire to have.

Kellie Niese: Right.

Kathy Williams: We also want to talk a little bit about a training program you have coming up.

Kellie Niese: Right and so the HRSA grant is looking to expand Peer Recovery Coaches in our County. So, a lot of programs depend on Peer Recovery Coaches in substance use disorder treatment. Peer Coaches, what they do is talk to someone with addiction and help them get connected to treatment. And they’re so important, not only in therapy, but in clinics that have doctors that are doing medication-assisted treatment, in jails for example. They’re needed for a lot of volunteer programs in our community. So we’re providing this education for free. You can express interest in that by reaching out to me at kniese@lcmha.org and we can connect you with an application. And the training is normally around $1,500 a person.

Kathy Williams: Wow.

Kellie Niese: It’s a five-day training that comes with books and resources. All that’s provided for free, and then after you’re done we can connect you to the recovery community and kind of continue to mentor and develop that skill if you’re looking for a role, or a job, or profession in recovery coaching.

Kathy Williams: So, Kellie, it’s kniese@lcmha.org?

Kellie Niese: That’s correct.

Kathy Williams: Okay, I want to make sure we know how to spell “Niese”. So when is that training?

Kellie Niese: It’s the first week of August.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Kellie Niese: It starts August 2^nd and that goes through to August 6^th.

Kathy Williams: So anyone who is interested in the training, I mean, check out what’s involved in it and then decide whether you want to go through with it or not. But lots of information available.

Kellie Niese: Right, anyone that’s been addicted to substances and is in recovery now and has a desire to give back and expand into a profession where they’re helping people on the other side. Which is a really awesome experience. And I’m really excited to offer it to our community

Kathy Williams: Well, we appreciate your time Kellie. And we hope that, you know, the community, I’m sure is gathering a lot of information about drugs and drug abuse and how to prevent overdoses and such. You’re a big part of it, so we appreciate you, Kellie. Thank you.

Kellie Niese: Thank you.