Radio - Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition

Jul

2021

WLEN Interview with Parkside Family Counseling LLC Director and Owner Therese Langan

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 William and with me on tonight’s program is Therese Langan and she is the owner and the director at Parkside Family Counseling and Therese’s also a therapist there.

Therese Langan: Yes.

Kathy Williams: So Therese, we appreciate you spending some time with us this evening.

Therese Langan: Oh, I’m glad to be here.

Kathy Williams: Tell us a little bit about Parkside and I know the program we’re going to be talking about has to do with teen substance use. But Parkside’s been around for quite a while?

Therese Langan: Parkside’s been around since 1997 and the population that we love to serve are teenagers and their families. And so working with teenagers has really evolved and made sense to evolve into working with kids and trying to prevent substance abuse.

Kathy Williams: Exactly. And so the program is of course by the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. And you have a wonderful program coming up soon as a community education piece that Parkside is providing. It’s going to happen at the Adrian District Library. Tell us about that. What’s going on?

Therese Langan: Yes, we’re going to have, it’s a two-part series. So different information both days, on Wednesday evening July 14th, and 21st from 6 to 8 p.m. We’ll be presenting a teen substance use prevention education program and it is going to be for parents who are interested, other involved community members, or really just anybody that is interested in learning more about why it’s so important to steer teens away from substance use.

Kathy Williams: Well, and I think in today’s society, you know, there’s always been that the social aspect of peer pressure, you know, we tend to refer to that a lot. But talking to teens about use is different than talking to adults about drug and alcohol usage.

Therese Langan: It is, and one of the things that adults are really surprised to find out is that the research shows that teens use more than ever because of stress in their life.

Kathy Williams: Yeah, you know and to me it doesn’t surprise me, because I know that especially with the way the last year-and-a-half has been with all of us…

Therese Langan: Sure.

Kathy Williams: That those are crutches that a lot of us had depended on, in the past, and it seems to revert back to them. Teens may not have been exposed to the kind of stressors they have until recently.

Therese Langan: That’s true. It’s really become just more prevalent.

Kathy Williams: So, within the program then, it’s basically like you said, open to anyone. It’s a free program so there’s no fees involved.

Therese Langan: Yes.

Kathy Williams: And it’s going to teach them what?

Therese Langan: Well, the first night on the 14th, we’re going to be presenting more about what to know about substance use and teens, information about brain development and how that can be stagnated if use begins young and is consistent, trends in substance use, and just what makes it more likely to be habit-forming for teens. Then the second evening, we’re going to be talking more about what to do about it: ways to talk to teens that can be the most impactful when it comes to substance use, and positive strategies that keeps teens busy and focused on their future success.

Kathy Williams: What different ways can people find out about getting registered? I’m sure you need some kind of registration.

Therese Langan: Right, so we have a flyer that’s out and about. But the flyer is on our Facebook page. So, our Facebook page is Parkside Family Counseling and if you look for that and like our page, you can see what’s on there, and we have sent it out to various community organizations throughout the county as well.

Kathy Williams: And also is there a phone they can call as well?

Therese Langan: They can call Parkside Family Counseling to get more information and to register because we do want to know how many are coming. And our phone number that you call is 517-266-8880 and you’ll be given the information there.

Kathy Williams: There you go. And again, it is a teen substance use prevention education – almost like a seminar, little mini seminar…

Therese Langan: Yes.

Kathy Williams: Wednesday evening July 14^th as well as Wednesday evening July 21st from 6 to 8 p.m. Well, Therese, I want to thank you again for stopping by and helping us with getting this information out to the general public We hope you have a lot of people show up for this.

Therese Langan: Thank you very much.

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.

Jun

2021

WLEN Interview with Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition Coordinator Madeline DeMarco

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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: This is Kathy Williams and with me on tonight’s program is Madeline DeMarco. She is the coalition coordinator for the LSAPC, along with being the Community Outreach and Prevention Coordinator for Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority. Madeline, we’re going to talk about sober summer.

Madeline DeMarco: Yes, the weather is getting nicer, and that means that many of us are looking forward to all those outdoor gatherings and events with family and friends. And it’s really easy for us to get caught up in, you know, which beer or the seltzer flavors in the cooler. But not everybody drinks alcohol. In fact, nearly one in three adults in the United States don’t drink any alcohol at all. And so we’re here to talk about some ways that you can have fun this summer and help support the folks in your life that that don’t drink at the same time.

Kathy Williams: Yeah, because some some it’s a medical decision and some it’s a psychological decision. But whatever their decision, you want to be supportive.

Madeline DeMarco: Yes, and that’s a great point. There’s a lot of reasons why someone might choose not to drink from, you know, whether they’re they might be pregnant, a history with substance use. And so it’s important that we respect that person’s choice not to drink and we don’t pressure anybody to be drinking if they don’t want to. And we also don’t ask why they’re not drinking.

Kathy Williams: Exactly.

Madeline DeMarco: No one wants to be the person to ruin a pregnancy announcement for somebody. Right?

Kathy Williams: Yes.

Madeline DeMarco: It’s up to that person to choose if they want to share their story or not.

Kathy Williams: It is. And so just by having all those options available, then let them take care of themselves is the way I look at it.

Madeline DeMarco: Yes.

Kathy Williams: So you’re right, though, with the warmer weather, we do tend to be outside more. And for some, I’m sure there’s a tick up in especially probably beer and cold beverage consumption. So. So how can we help? You said, of course, provide non-alcoholic drinks, but there’s a lot of great little mock-up cocktails that you can have available, things like that.

Madeline DeMarco: Yeah, it doesn’t have to be just, you know, a juice box or a bottle of coke that that we’re all used to seeing. There’s a lot of companies that are now selling bottled or canned mocktails that are way, go way beyond that standard bottle of pop. And you can also kind of class up some of those more traditional non-alcoholic drinks as well: providing fun, glassware or garnishes. You can add some sparkling water to give it a little bubbliness. There’s a lot of options.

Kathy Williams: Any kind of fruit.

Madeline DeMarco: Yes. Yup. And it’s better for for even the folks that do drink as well, because drinking alcohol can actually dehydrate you, especially in that hot weather.

Kathy Williams: Right.

Madeline DeMarco: So when you’re on the lake, you want to make sure that even if you are choosing to partake, that you’re kind of alternating your alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Kathy Williams: And I also I like the idea of if you keep both your hands busy so, you know, by playing games like Frisbee and, you know, doing tubing, things like that cornhole, you have to have a little bit of a level of concentration. And hopefully both your hands are busy so you don’t have time to pick up that drink all the time.

Madeline DeMarco: Yes. And it’s more than just drinking games that we can be playing, too. That’s kind of also what we want to be emphasizing is making the event so it’s not focused on alcohol. So we’re providing, you know, not just flip cup, but Frisbee and Cornhole and these other games that anybody, any age, whatever they’re choosing to drink that day, can can partake in.

Kathy Williams: Exactly. You know, I think a lot of people may not even realize that, but when they look at their friends, they might realize they have a lot of friends that don’t drink.

Madeline DeMarco: Yes, exactly. Like we said, one in three adults in the United States don’t drink alcohol at all. So if you just look around you at your family gathering, statistically, there’s going to be quite a few people that are choosing not to drink that day for whatever reason.

Kathy Williams: So offer lots of snacks.

Madeline DeMarco: That’s what I’m there for, the s’mores, right!

Kathy Williams: Chips and the dips and a lot of fruit I’ve noticed at early parties already this season.

Madeline DeMarco: Yes. And that’s great because that’s a good hydrating snack as well. So even for folks that are drinking, we talked about alcohol can be dehydrating, offering things like watermelon or some bell peppers, things like that are great at being hydrating for folks. And if you’re you’re hosting your own event as well, that’s another great way to give you a little bit more control over the situation. So maybe if you don’t drink and you’re worried about having options available for you at someone else’s house, if you host the gathering at your house, you set the menu, you set the activities so you get a little more control that way too.

Kathy Williams: Exactly. You know what other good suggestion I have is have a cooler that has water in it for the bottled water, but have one of those markers beside it so they can label their bottle. Because how many times do you find all these have drinking water bottles and nobody knows which one was there?

Madeline DeMarco: Yes!

Kathy Williams: I just think that that marker might come in handy for lots of reasons.

Madeline DeMarco: Absolutely. And with COVID, you don’t want to be accidentally drinking someone’s water.

Kathy Williams: Let’s just help everybody out with this. Great event coming up, though, the Right for Recovery is a fundraiser. That’s coming up. Tell us about that, Madeline.

Madeline DeMarco: Yes. So this is an upcoming fundraiser that’s sponsored by Celebrate Recovery Tecumseh and Broken Chains. J.C. and all the proceeds from this event are going to go to Pathways Recovery Engagement Center in Adrian. And so this is going to be a fundraiser, motorcycle ride. It’s going to be held on June 26. It will start at the Harley Davidson of Tecumseh and registration will begin at 10:00 a.m. It’s ten dollars per person. Again, all proceeds are going to go to Pathways Recovery Engagement Center. At registration there’ll be donuts, coffee, water available and then kick stands up at 11:00 a.m. to start the ride. The ride’s going to end at the Covenant Church in Tecumseh and hot dogs and chips will be available at the end of the ride. So you can even have your family come and meet you at the end if you want.

Kathy Williams: Oh how fun. Okay.

Madeline DeMarco: Yeah, and if you’re interested for more information, you can call 517-815-4011 or you can email crtecumseh@gmail.com.

Kathy Williams: There you go. A great event. And, you know, there’s a lot of riders, especially in the summer, and a lot of them have the belief of you do not drink and ride a motorcycle. It just does not go well together. So other great activities, of course, they can, you know, just get outside, go to farmer’s markets, go get ice cream, you know, have a game night. That kind of thing, I think are all great ideas too. So, Madeline, you can also find information on the LSAPC sites.

Madeline DeMarco: Yes. We have a website. You can reach us at DrugPreventionLenawee.com. And we also have a pretty active Facebook page. You can find us @LenaweeVsAddiction, Lenawee V S Addition, on Facebook as well.

Kathy Williams: Thanks so much, Madeline. For some more information on a sober summer.

Madeline DeMarco: So thank you for having me.

Jun

2021

WLEN Interview with Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition Coordinator Madeline DeMarco

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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: This is Kathy Williams. And with me on tonight’s program is Madeline DeMarco. And Madeline is the coalition coordinator for the LSAPC, along with being the community outreach and prevention coordinator for the Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority, Madeline you’re super involved in things that have to do with helping people live healthier lives.

Madeline DeMarco: Yes, absolutely. Uh, everything that we do at the prevention coalition works with that. And that’s actually what we’re here to talk about today. As we’ve been featuring a new campaign on our social media, that we’re calling Drink Less for Your Breasts. And this is all about raising awareness for the idea that drinking alcohol is actually a breast cancer risk factor, which a lot of folks don’t know about.

Kathy Williams: I personally had no clue on that. I know a lot of other risk factors come to mind, but not necessarily drinking. So tell us a little bit about how, um, the research goes on that. What are the odds, um, and how do we stay out of that mix, I guess?

Madeline DeMarco: Yeah. So every year the Centers for Disease Control estimate that about 19,000 women develop breast cancer each year due to drinking alcohol. And this risk is actually 14% higher for people who drink regularly on a regular basis, you know, a couple times a week or whatever that looks like then, then for someone who doesn’t drink. And we want to raise awareness about this because these long-term impacts of alcohol use are particularly important for our young women, as they’re setting up good health for their bodies as, as they’re aging and, and moving forward with life. And we also know that alcohol use is more common amongst younger women as well. So although drinking alcohol at any age increases the risk of breast cancer, we know that young people are more likely to be the ones drinking the most

Kathy Williams: Well because of the different social settings that they’re in. I mean, you hate to bring the old peer pressure up, but that, you know, does tend to affect a little bit younger demographic and, you know, just opportunities are a little more readily available maybe to, to start out with, uh, a bad habit, basically. Um, you know, some drinking is fun, but you do need to know that this is a possible risk that you could be exposing yourself to.

Madeline DeMarco: Yeah, absolutely. Because even just drinking small amounts, like just one drink a day increases your risk of developing breast cancer. And this increases the more that you drink. So basically a good thing to think about is the more you drink, the higher your risk of developing breast cancer is. But the good news is it’s actually pretty easy to lower this risk, even just drinking one fewer drink a week can lower your risk pretty substantially. So, you know, one fewer drink on that Zoom call that can help reduce your risk by, by a couple of percentage points if you keep that up regularly. So every little bit counts

Kathy Williams: Just kind of think, oh, do I really need this one? Maybe I’ll skip this one and go for the next one or something, you know?

Madeline DeMarco: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And we have a lot of tips that as you’re mentioning that can kind of help with that. And one of those is maybe alternating with beverages. So if you’re at an event and you start out with a beer, maybe drinking a glass of water or juice or something like that before going for your next drink, also drinking things slowly. So instead of, you know, just shotting that drink, tossing it back, trying to try to take smaller sips, um, as well as having some food in your stomach before, before you go out and drink. Um, another thing is, is to keep track of how much you’re drinking, um, especially on those nights out, it can be easy to lose track of, you know, is this my third glass of wine or my fifth? And there’s actually a lot of apps out there that folks can use to help them keep track of their, of their drinking. Um, as well as getting support. You know, a lot of us drink in social settings with friends and family. And so the more we can kind of get the word out with, with our friends and say, Hey, I’m trying to drink a little bit less today. Can you help support that? Um, the more successful we’re likely to be

Kathy Williams: Well, and I think also when you’re, if you’re the host or hostess of those events, just having more of the alternative options available helps along with that too. I know if the, if the cooler of beer is sitting right next to the lemonade and iced tea and the pops, you might open a different cooler or pour a different glass, and it does get monotonous too. Especially with the hot days we have coming up,

Madeline DeMarco: The more we can make not drinking alcohol, the norm so it’s not weird to show up with a glass of lemonade or a fancy mocktail. There’s all kinds of cool stuff out there these days, the easier…

Kathy Williams: Oh my gosh, the seltzer waters…

Madeline DeMarco: Oh yeah. I’m with ya. The easier it will be. And you’ll probably feel better and more hydrated on those hot summer days as well. If you’re not just drinking beer the whole time.

Kathy Williams: And not only will you be not increasing your chances of developing breast cancer, but you’re going to feel better the next day.

Madeline DeMarco: Exactly, exactly.

Kathy Williams: So I know we don’t talk much about men with breast cancer, but there is always that problem as well. I just isn’t as pronounced with a risk factor for this.

Madeline DeMarco: Correct. Men can get breast cancer because of drinking alcohol, but it’s much, much less likely. In fact, the research shows that it’s really only heavy drinking that’s correlated with an increased risk of breast cancer in men, whereas any drinking can increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. That’s why we’re really emphasizing ladies, If you’re out there, uh, drink less for your breasts.

Kathy Williams: There you go. So Madeline, you said this is more information’s available on the, uh, on the internet?

Madeline DeMarco: Correct. Yes. We have a website, the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. Um, you can reach us at DrugPreventionLenawee.com. We also have a Facebook page. You can find us @LenaweeVsAddiction. We’re doing a whole social media campaign, trying to raise awareness around drinking less for your breasts for the month of June. So you can, you can learn more there and, and share the post with your friends. So, so they know more as well, too.

Kathy Williams: Thanks so much Madeline. We appreciate you.

Madeline DeMarco: Thank you for having me.

May

2021

WLEN Interview with Recovery Mobile Clinic President Jordana Latozas

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Kathy Williams: This is Kathy Williams and with me right now is Jordana Latozas. She is a nurse practitioner. But the topic we’re going to be talking about tonight is a group called the Recovery Mobile Clinic, and Jordana is the president of that group, Jordana. What exactly is the recovery mobile clinic?

Jordana Latozas: First of all, thank you for having me here, Kathy. The Recovery Mobile Clinic is just what it says. It is a mobile clinic. So we function out of a 30-foot RV moving around from site to site. And our primary focus is on addiction medicine. So we have taken addiction medicine on wheels focusing on opiate and alcohol addiction in the community.

Kathy Williams: Well, I would imagine over 2020 and probably still you have a lot more people taking advantage of your services.

Jordana Latozas: Yes. The company was established in February of 2020. Great year, right, to start a new company? But it has proven to kind of be a blessing in disguise to have started this year. What we’ve been able to see is that with the pandemic, a lot of community support systems for those struggling with addiction where we’re compromised, we weren’t able to go to groups and meet. So there was a huge need for additional support.

Kathy Williams: Well, and not only for the people who were already in the system, but so many more were eligible for extra help. I mean, a lot of us suffered from depression and leaned on things we shouldn’t have leaned on, correct?

Jordana Latozas: Unfortunately, with mental health, there comes a high potential for substance abuse, whether that’s cigarettes, food, alcohol or opiates. And we did see a significant increase in substance abuse during the pandemic and following. Alcohol percentages just from sales alone were up 300% this year, online mostly. And then our overdose rate for opiates was up 30%. You know, unfortunately, what that represents is that all of the progress we made in the last five years has been undone.

Kathy Williams: Exactly.

Jordana Latozas: So we really need to start refocusing on not just the problem, but the solutions to this problem.

Kathy Williams: Yeah, I mean, people who probably had relapses, which isn’t uncommon, but to not have the services available to help them before they made that deep dive, that that had to compromise a lot of people.

Jordana Latozas: Absolutely. So what the Recovery Mobile Clinic is trying to do is make treatment options feasible. By being mobile, we’re able to go directly to where patients are. We frequent shelters, parole offices, counseling offices, primary care, community centers such as churches, three quarter houses, transitional housing. So we try to go to where the people already are.

Kathy Williams: OK.

Jordana Latozas: You know, adding the pandemic on to job loss. And, you know, everything else that kind of steamrolled into this – transportation is an issue. So what we’re trying to do is make it easy to obtain help, because if it’s easy, then we have a higher propensity to maintain.

Kathy Williams: To be successful too. Yeah. For everyone. So what made you leave your position to start a nonprofit addiction clinic like this?

Jordana Latozas: I’ve been in addiction medicine for over six years and what we saw prior pandemic was that transportation was an issue. We would lose around 30% of our patients because they couldn’t get to us or they couldn’t get a ride. Now you add pandemic levels to that and all of a sudden an Uber and Lyft are gone. People don’t want to take people places.

Kathy Williams: Right.

Jordana Latozas: You know, it definitely increased the transportation loss. So I said to myself, we’ve got to do better than this. Transportation is a solvable issue. And if I can take that clinic to where people are, we have a better chance of giving individuals a shot.

Kathy Williams: There you go.

Jordana Latozas: And that’s what we’re trying to do, is give them their life back and give them the tools to do that.

Kathy Williams: Exactly. Well, and that’s one of the things that I think is wonderful about your your mobile clinic is you’re giving people opportunity. And sometimes opportunity creates self-decisions that are easily more possible rather than just thinking about, wow, it’s right there. Let me check it out, if nothing else. So what can a person expect then when they arrive at the mobile clinic?

Jordana Latozas: Well, the mobile clinic being an RV can sometimes be a little bit off-setting to some people. It’s outside of the traditional doctor’s office. But once you get through the door, it is a doctor’s office. We get you into our little waiting room, we check you in, and then we pull you back into the clinic itself. We have a fully functioning staff. You usually have two to three people that you’ll see medical assistance and then myself, the nurse practitioner. We will ask for insurance information, if you have it and you know, like a normal doctor’s office flow, most people feel very comfortable once they’ve actually gone through the process.

Kathy Williams: Well, it’s great that you do take the different insurances. And so, you know, to find out more about the clinic itself. Is there a social media presence or a website?

Jordana Latozas: Yep, we have a presence on LinkedIn and Facebook. It’s just entitled The Recovery Mobile Clinic. Our website is www.RecoveryMobileClinic.com. And, on there is a list of all of our services, not just the addiction services with Vivitrol and everything else we do, but also with just basic medical services. We do offer COVID testing. We do offer COVID screening, um, flu vaccines, tetanus vaccines, basic medical care. OK, so we are also open to the community in general, anybody that needs access to medicine

Kathy Williams: So they can schedule an appointment through the website, but they can also if need be, you do take walk-ups.

Jordana Latozas: Yes. Scheduling an appointment via phone. Unfortunately, we don’t have the ability to schedule on our website. But what you do want to find out what the website is, where we are that day being mobile, we do move around a lot. So we’re in this area, Lenawee, every second and fourth Thursday of every single month. But then we also cover a large area of southeast Michigan. So we do move around a lot.

Kathy Williams: OK, great. Well, I certainly appreciate all the hard work that you’re doing. That’s one of the things that the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition is so passionate about. And so we appreciate that you’re helping to bring some of these solutions to our neighbors.

Jordana Latozas: Absolutely. It’s a pleasure to be involved.

May

2021

WLEN Interview with Cradle to Career Director Tim Kelly

Show the Trascript.

Kathy Williams: With me tonight on the program as Tim Kelly. And he is with the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. It’s quite a mouthful.

Tim Kelly: Yes, it is.

Kathy Williams: Tim, we want to give our listeners an update on how wonderful the drug take back event went that happened on Saturday, the 24th out at ProMedica Hickman Hospital. What a turnout.

Tim Kelly: Yeah, it was quite amazing. I know it was a little bit of a drizzly day, but a little gray, but it seemed like a great turnout. Close to 300 people came out and dropped off some prescriptions.

Kathy Williams: Exactly. And we got darn close to hitting that 500 pounds. So I was really excited about that.

Tim Kelly: Yeah, they had 250 pounds of tablets and capsules, 180 plus pounds of bottled medicine or topical products. So those two numbers are just fantastic.

Kathy Williams: They are. And, you know, we we talked during the broadcast about different locations that people can drop off their drugs on a regular basis and they can get that information online at DrugPreventionLenawee.com. But during the drug take back, it was the only time they were able to do liquids.

Tim Kelly: Mhhm, Yeah.

Kathy Williams: And so that was kind of important that. Sharps and syringes were also accepted and those are not generally accepted at the red barrels or the other Drop-Off locations.

Tim Kelly: Yeah, yeah. The only place I know of that can actually take those right now is is at the hospital. So if people need to drop those off, they can bring them to the hospital to drop off there.

Kathy Williams: There you go. I know from talking to Jennifer, the head pharmacist, she shared that she even got some old-school syringes that were metal.

Tim Kelly: Oh, wow.

Kathy Williams: Yeah, they were very old. So, you know, I think it’d be nice to remind everyone that we’re going to be doing another one in October.

Tim Kelly: Yeah, in October we will have our second one. It will be the same process as this one where you drive in to ProMedica and drop off whatever it is you need to drop off.

Kathy Williams: You know, there was concern too with did they have to keep it in the original containers? Did they have to mark out their personal information? I loved watching the pharmacy volunteers that were there. They sorted out the drugs between pills, capsules and everything else. And then they took care of marking out any personal information and making sure that that you were protected.

Tim Kelly: Yeah, they they did a great job. We had the students from University of Michigan and the University of Toledo. And so, yeah, Jennifer did a great job with them and having them sort things. So you don’t have to have it in the containers. They’ll take it whatever way you need to bring it in. Just bring it in and they’ll sort through it and dispose of it properly.

Kathy Williams: Well, we can also share, of course, that you know, the highlight. Of course, we try to focus on opioids and, you know, illegal drugs. But a lot of people have just basic things in their cupboards that they need to get rid of. I personally found vitamins that expired in 2012. I was like, OK, that’s a little old. But but it seems like a lot of the people that stopped by were in similar situations.

Tim Kelly: Yeah. There’s, there’s lots of things you didn’t really realize in your cupboards that are, you know, supplements, your pet medical medications, those things expire and they should be disposed of properly. Dumping them out or flushing them down the toilet is not good for the environment. So we need to keep trying to get these things to the proper places, whether it be on these drug take back days or at the red barrels at the law enforcement.

Kathy Williams: There you go, Tim. I know you’ve got some people we’d like to thank for helping us with the drug take back day. Who have you got there?

Tim Kelly: Ok, well, first of all, there’s the people the day off. You know, those people were out there and drizzly a little bit of rain and and doing a great job. First, there was you, Kathy and and John, we really appreciate the the work you guys did. But those students from Toledo and and the University of Michigan, Jennifer Foss herself, and can’t forget the two sheriff’s deputies are out there, Jacob Pifer and and David Aungst. I hope I pronounce that right. So we want to appreciate them for what they’ve done. But we also have, you know, those those entities that did help us like Comfort Keepers, the sheriff’s department, the health department. WLEN, Lenawee Community Mental Health, Charlotte Stephenson Manor. The Department of Health and Human Services, and Hospice of Lenawee.

Kathy Williams: So we did give away 100 goodie bags that were ready that had all of the items that we ended up going through another 150 bags and ran out. So, you know, we encourage people if you’re out there and you’d like to put something in the goody bag for October, please get ahold of us.

Tim Kelly: Yeah, please do. We had some volunteers from hospice, put those together for us. And we were really surprised and happily surprised that we gave away over 100 of them. And so, yeah, if people have anything, just they can reach out to through the website, the Substance Abuse Coalition, and we could take your your items and put them in goodie bags to give out to people in the fall.

Kathy Williams: There you go. Well, thanks so much, Tim, and we appreciate all the work that you put into this drug. Take back day. And we look forward to another successful one in October.