Community Resources

Dec

2021

WLEN Interview with Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition Coordinator Madeline DeMarco

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 Madeline DeMarco, and Madeline is with the Lenawee Community Health Authority as well as the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. Madeline and I are going to talk about issues of the holidays that have to do with safe holiday driving. This is an interesting topic.

Madeline DeMarco: Thanks for having me, Kathy. It’s good to be here. And we’re here to talk about the holiday season and the roads because the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition is working with the U.S Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to really raise awareness around safe driving habits to help keep impaired drivers off the road. We know that the end of the year can bring about, you know, lots of merriment with the holiday season. And we want to make sure that Americans are safe on the roads as we’re traveling to and from our holiday get-togethers and vacation destinations, and really just remind people that if you plan to go out and those plans include alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs in your celebrations that you don’t drive.

Kathy Williams: Exactly. Have a DD. You know, I think sometimes people don’t realize how much effect, you know, just a small amount of marijuana even, or a small amount of alcohol plays into their reaction times with driving, especially when you pull in it the effect of winter road situations and things like that. And just the slightest hesitation can be the difference between an accident or safe driving.

Madeline DeMarco: Even if you only have one drink or just a small bit of something and you don’t think that you’re impaired, we actually know that even just that small amount, like you said, can affect those important mental skills that we need for driving, like your reaction time and your critical thinking. And so even if you think you’re okay, if you’ve been consuming at all, it’s really not safe for you to get behind the wheel. And especially this time of year, when we have more drivers on the roads than ever, it’s really just an accident waiting to happen. Quite literally.

Kathy Williams: It really is. And you know, we need to look out for each other and maybe somebody takes a time out and the other person has their holiday cheer, so to speak. But you have to think about all the rest of the people that are dominoes like that are affected by one of your bad decisions. It’s not just you, it’s all the other people that are impacted by a crash or you know, the other people that are in their car that could be hurt.

Madeline DeMarco: Yeah. We know that in the U.S. during the holiday season, one person is killed every 52 minutes. So that’s more than one person every hour due to some sort of drunk driving-related crash. And that’s not just necessarily the driver. That can be passengers, that can be pedestrians, that can be people in the other cars. And so we really need to look out for our friends and family and keep our community safe.

Kathy Williams: Yes, exactly. Because, you know, we’ve talked before about mental health issues, but if you’re that driver the amount of guilt and devastation that you’ve put on other people in your community is forever.

Madeline DeMarco: Yeah. And there are some real financial impacts as well of getting in, you know, a drunk driving incident. You know, if you get a DUI that can set you back more than $10,000 in addition to other, you know, insurance, settlements and things. And you could potentially do jail time, you could lose your driver’s license… I mean, those are not things you want to talk about at the holiday table with your loved ones.

Kathy Williams: No, and even lose your job in many instances!

Madeline DeMarco: Exactly.

Kathy Williams: So, you know, let’s, let’s celebrate with a plan then. So, you know, give our listeners an idea of some different things to help them with planning ahead.

Madeline DeMarco: The biggest thing is really that if you’re planning to head out for any sort of holiday festivity to make sure, like you said, that you have a plan for a safe ride home. So, if you’re planning on using any substances like alcohol or marijuana, that you are not the one driving, that you have a sober driver that can take you home. And if you don’t have a sober driver, we have some other options in our community. Things like the Ride Lenawee shuttle can be a great option – that runs between downtown Adrian and Tecumseh on weekend evenings. And we really encourage folks too, that if it’s your turn to be the designated driver, to take your role, seriously: your friends and family are counting on you to get everybody home safely. And again, like we’ve said, even just one drink can be too many. If you’re the driver, it’s just not worth the risk.

Kathy Williams: You know, and at the same time, you have to be keeping an eye out for other drivers who may be driving impaired. And I know it’s uncomfortable maybe to let authorities know, but if you spot someone who’s really driving impaired, you need to notify someone.

Madeline DeMarco: Yes. You can call your local law enforcement if you’re driving on the roads and you see someone that you might suspect is driving under the influence. But even before then, you can take action too. If you’re at a gathering and you notice someone’s about to get in their car and maybe, you know, they’re not walking so straight, it doesn’t seem like a good idea, say something and take those keys away. That person might be upset in the moment, but they’ll thank you in the morning. Trust me.

Kathy Williams: Exactly. So, Madeline, some other ways that they can learn more information is of course, is the Facebook page: LenaweeVsAddiction and the website.

Madeline DeMarco: Yes. The Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition also has a website. It’s www.Drug PreventionLenawee.com. So, you can access either that or our Facebook page for more information. We’ll be sharing some tips for keeping our roads safe this holiday season all month long.

Kathy Williams: We want everyone to have a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year, but let’s drive safely.

Madeline DeMarco: Absolutely.

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.

Dec

2021

WLEN Interview with Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition Coordinator Madeline DeMarco

Show the Transcript

Kathy Williams: This is Kathy Williams. And with me on tonight’s program is Madeline DeMarco, and she’s with Lenawee Community Mental Health along with the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition.

Madeline DeMarco: Perfect.

Kathy Williams: And we’re going to talk about, you know, special things that kind of happen a little bit stronger over the holidays with our mental health. Last year and a half’s been hard, a lot more people have had, you know, more issues than usual. And yet, there is an uptick of problems during the holidays. Madeline, let’s just talk about how we can see differences in ourselves and in others that will show us that there may be some depression issues going on. So, what kind of signs should we look for?

Madeline DeMarco: Yeah. Well, first of all, thank you for having me, Kathy, I’m happy to be here. Like you mentioned, the holiday season is kind of known for being this joyful time for many of us, but like you were saying, especially during the past year and a half, it’s been tough. Many of us have lost folks and without our normal support systems, we’ve been seeing an increase in mental health, increase in rates of suicide and depression, things like that, and that’s especially true for those of us recovering from a substance use disorder. And so we’re really here to talk about this and the importance of mental health and remind folks that help is available, you’re not alone in these feelings, and to help raise awareness of some of the signs and symptoms that you can look out for in your friends and family, and even in yourself so that you know how to help offer the support that folks need. So like you were asking, some of the signs of depression that we can look out for are things like irritability; difficulty sleeping, or maybe sleeping more than usual – so, changes in your normal sleep patterns; feelings of hopelessness, kind of those holiday blues, if you will, just kind of feeling down, not yourself; as well as difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions: really looking out for things that are out of the ordinary for yourself or for your loved ones.

Kathy Williams: And self-talk becomes so important to be able to say: “Wait a minute, this is not how I usually function. What is going on?” and then being able to understand that there is so much help out there. And so, stopping that hesitancy to ask for help, I think is a big thing for a lot of people, especially like you said, if they’re already dealing with a substance abuse issue. Where do we channel that? Where do we direct people?

Madeline DeMarco: So, there’s a ton of resources nationally, and even here in Lenawee County. And so a good first place to reach out to is Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority. We have our normal, you know, kind of 8:30 to 5:00 business hours, but we also have a crisis line that’s available 24/7 – so, every day, all day. And you can reach that number by calling (800) 664-5005. And there’s also a National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. So if you, or someone that you know, is having suicidal thoughts, you can call this number to get connected with someone that can offer some supports. And that number is (800) 273-TALK, also 1-(800) 273-8255.

Kathy Williams: Well so, you know, some things that we can do for ourselves or to help our family members and friends with the courses to make some physical, emotional, and mental health, a priority in our own lives. And what are some great ideas to help us tip the scales maybe?

Madeline DeMarco: Yeah, so there’s some really great things that you can do just in your own everyday life to make sure that you’re setting yourself up to be as healthy as you can be, just like we do with our physical health, and a lot of these things are similar. So, you know, eating healthy, making sure that you’re getting healthy foods and not just eating Christmas cookies at this time of year.

Kathy Williams: Yep.

Madeline DeMarco: Making sure that you’re getting enough sleep; making sure that you’re taking the time to relax and do things you enjoy. This can be a hard time of year because there’s so many things going on. So many holiday parties and gatherings and events, and we feel like we want to do all of them, but it’s really okay to say “no” and take a break because always being on the go can be tough if we don’t make time to listen to our bodies and take care of ourselves,

Kathy Williams: Take that down time. It’s precious.

Madeline DeMarco: Yes, as well as those breaks from social media and the news. We know that those things aren’t always great for our mental health as well. So instead of maybe, you know, opening up Facebook or Instagram, try calling a friend that you haven’t talked to in a long time, really connecting with those loved ones.

Kathy Williams: There you go, those are some great ideas. Madeline, we just want to remind people again that they can connect with the Facebook page.

Madeline DeMarco: Correct. Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition has a Facebook page. You can reach us at LenaweeVsAddiction or on our website, which is www.DrugPreventionLenawee.com. And we’ll be featuring some holiday mental health tips throughout the month of December. So you can learn more there.

Kathy Williams: Thanks so much, Madeline.

Madeline DeMarco: Thank you for having me.

May

2021

WLEN Interview with Recovery Mobile Clinic President Jordana Latozas

Show the Transcript.

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.

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.