Day of HOPE

Mar

2023

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

Woman’s Voice: This special program is brought to you by the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. Guests provide information about upcoming events, resources available, and the many ways to help reduce substance use and promote a healthy Lenawee.

Kathy Williams: This is Kathy Williams and with me tonight is Kellie Niese and we’re going to be talking to you about the Lenawee Recovery Network. Kellie, first off, thanks for joining me and helping our listeners learn a little bit more about the Lenawee Recovery Network.

Kellie Niese: Well, thank you. I always like stopping by and seeing you.

Kathy Williams: It’s nice to see you too. So the Lenawee Recovery Network hasn’t been around for very long now?

Kellie Niese: No. So, the Lenawee Recovery Network is a website that we developed through a community grant that we have and we launched it last year on August 31st, National Overdose Awareness Day at the day of HOPE.

Kathy Williams: Oh yeah. In the… where that event is coming up again this year!

Kellie Niese: It is!

Kathy William: It’s kind of going to be a permanent thing. The last, what is it? The last day of October?

Kellie Niese: The last day of August.

Kathy Williams: Of August! Oh, I got us way late. Okay. Last day in August. So we’ll be talking more about that later this summer.

Kellie Niese: Yes.

Kathy Williams: Kellie, you’re, you’re tweaking it and making sure that things are up to date. Let our listeners know what kind of things can they find when they go to that site?

Kellie Niese: Right. Well, so what I’ve found is when I’m out in the community trying to get substance use disorder or addiction resources into the hands of people, that I have a lot of papers and people don’t necessarily know what to do with all those papers. And so we wanted to create something electronic.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Kellie Niese: That was really specific to Lenawee County. So the Lenawee Recovery Network kind of spawned out of that. And it has exactly that: local resources to help with housing, transportation, addiction, sober activities, and treatment options here in Lenawee County.

Kathy Williams: Well, and you were talking with me off air about, so you can go to the site and you can say, I need food.

Kellie Niese: Right. Right.

Kathy Williams: And it, and there’s a dropdown menu then for food, or?

Kellie Niese: It is. We, we really took inspiration from people that are in recovery from substance use disorder and asked what they were looking for in that moment of crisis.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Kellie Niese: Because it does, you know, you’re not in crisis on an island by yourself.

Kathy Williams: No.

Kellie Niese: And there isn’t just one problem usually when you’re, when you’re in substance use disorder or addiction. And so a lot of times people who are in crisis, they don’t have housing, they can’t afford transportation or lost their transportation. And so yes, that we, we incorporated all of that into the website. So if you’re looking for a food pantry, food pantries are there. Lenawee Transportation Authority is on there, and how to utilize that harm reduction information if you’re not familiar with that. Like how can someone get Narcan to reverse an opiate overdose? Syringe exchange, which isn’t available here in Lenawee County, but we give you instructions on how you can reach those services nearby.

Kathy Williams: Okay. Okay.

Kellie Niese: And so things to just make sure that someone that loves someone struggling with addiction or struggling with addiction themselves can easily in one space, find all of these resources.

Kathy Williams: Well, that’s the hard thing because when you’re in the moment, your, your mind is scattered anyway.

Kellie Niese: Right.

Kathy Williams: So, it, it makes a lot of sense to me that it is available for those helping others through crisis.

Kellie Niese: Right. Right. And so, you know, I, I’m a nurse by trade.

Kathy Williams: Right.

Kellie Niese: And so I always think when I had patients coming to me, I would love to have one thing that I could hand them that would, you know, comprehensively give them everything they needed in, you know…

Kathy Williams: One quick shot.

Kellie Niese: Yeah. And so that’s really what I had in mind for that.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Kellie Niese: And so over this next month, you’ll probably see some of these posters spring up that highlight Lenawee Recovery Network and it will have a flow code on it, and it will tell a little bit about the site and people, you know, maybe doing their laundry at a laundromat in a moment of, of clarity might want to scan that and get connected to resources. Doctor’s offices will have those resources. Therapists will have those resources.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Kellie Niese: Yeah, we’re really trying to disperse it in into the community, so it’s easily available. And if anyone’s like me, I’m last minute for anything. So in the moment, I might search “Lenawee Recovery Network”.

Kathy Williams: Right.

Kellie Niese: And get the resource that way, or recovery services. So we really are trying to reach people where they’re at.

Kathy Williams: And there is information then also on the site as far as if a person wants a face-to-face connection?

Kellie Niese: Right.

Kathy Williams: Those are on there as well?

Kellie Niese: Yeah. One of the really cool things about the site is it has… So Pathways Engagement Center is a part of Lenawee Community Mental Health and it’s right downtown. And it has peers in recovery from addiction there and so on LRN, there’s a whole page and profile of all the peers that work at Pathways, and it tells a little bit about their journey to recovery.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Kellie Niese: And how you can connect immediately to them.

Kathy Williams: Oh, that’s wonderful because you do get the best support really, from someone who’s already walked down that road.

Kellie Niese: Right.

Kathy Williams: They, I mean, they know how hard it is for you. They really can connect with you better.

Kellie Niese: Yeah. And it, and it really is for anyone affected or impacted by addiction. So, for instance, there’s a page on there to remember someone that you may have lost to addiction.

Kathy Williams: Okay.

Kellie Niese: You’ll see me on there. My sister, I highlighted a memorial for her. And you know, there’s some YouTube programming on there. There’s WLEN interviews on there that kind of highlight some of the things we’ve discussed over the year. And then there is direct ways to get help through CMH if someone needs help immediately.

Kathy Williams: There you go. Well, it’s all about helping everyone that we can and we know that the road recovery is a tough one.

Kellie Niese: It is.

Kathy Williams: So, the more we can help with that.

Kellie Niese: That’s right.

Kathy Williams: Thanks so much, Kellie. Appreciate all the information.

Kellie Niese: I always appreciate you having me.

Woman’s Voice: The Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition supported by funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration. Thank you for listening. New messages air on the second and fourth Monday each month at 6:15 PM. You can listen to this program as a podcast under the “on air audio” tab on WLEN.com and get more information at DrugPreventionLenawee.com.

Aug

2022

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

Show the Transcript

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 Kellie Niese, and Kellie is the program manager at Pathways here in Adrian and she is also the HRSA grant recovery coordinator. We’re going to be talking about an event that’s coming up. It’s called Day of HOPE. Kellie, thanks for joining me tonight.

Kellie Niese: Hi, thank you for having me.

Kathy Williams: So Day of HOPE, this is the second year that you’re having this event,

Kellie Niese: Right.

Kathy Williams: And it’s August 31^st.

Kellie Niese: August 31st, two to six at the Farmer’s Market in downtown, Adrian.

Kathy Williams: So tell us, what does Day of HOPE stand for?

Kellie Niese: So, Day of HOPE is health ownership, education and prevention. Really though, I love the word “hope” because with something like substance use disorder or addiction, hope is the one thing that can get someone across to the other side and into recovery. So I really like that we highlighted hope. Day of HOPE started out as a Narcan event and has grown into like a community collaborative where we really kind of open up to the community with all the resources that we have for behavioral health, overall wellness, and substance use disorder treatment, and bring all our community partners to the table for the community to come out and ask questions, and discover ways that they can get into recovery or sustain their recovery or support a loved one who’s working on getting into recovery. So it’s a really great day.

Kathy Williams: Well, I remember last year you were hoping to just get a few people.

Kellie Niese: Yes.

Kathy Williams: And hand out a possibly a few right doses of Narcan and it went crazy. You had a great turnout.

Kellie Niese: It did. It was a beautiful day. We had a lot of people from all over our community come out and see us. But I think what was really great is just the warm reception that all of our community members and partners in treating substance use disorder were out too. So we had, I think 20 different organizations represented with resources and different ways that people can kind of manage their health, manage their pain, manage their recovery. And it was just so cool to see everyone come together on a day that we recognized the epidemic of opiate use disorder and really come out to support our community. It was really awesome to see.

Kathy Williams: It was awesome. And I’m sure this year’s event’s going to be just as great.

Kellie Niese: Yeah.

Kathy Williams: I know even, you know, for people that maybe aren’t affected, but just want to learn more information, it’s a great venue to, you know, be able to talk to some experts in all these different areas. And even if you’re not the one in need with the opioid epidemic going on, like it is, we’re all going to be touched in some way.

Kellie Niese: Right. I always say addiction is something that doesn’t just affect the individual that’s struggling with it. It really is an entire family disease, an entire community disease. And so I’ve never met one person that is solely affected by addiction, right?

Kathy Williams: Right.

Kellie Niese: There’s a mother, a brother, a sister, a loved one, a spouse that is also affected and they need support and resources too. But really more than anything, we need to know, especially in Lenawee County, that it’s okay to talk about addiction.

Kathy Williams: Yeah.

Kellie Niese: It’s okay to admit that you have struggled with something like this, and the more we start talking about that as a community, the more we have things like Day of HOPE, the better equipped we are to manage this epidemic and hopefully treat it more like the medical and behavioral health condition it is, and not treat it with judgment and shame.

Kathy Williams: Yeah, we talk about getting rid of the stigma.

Kellie Niese: Yes.

Kathy Williams: With any kind of mental health issue, substance abuse and such, it is easier to talk about it to people who are going through it or have gone through it.

Kellie Niese: Right.

Kathy Williams: And this kind of gives you that open door, I think the Day of HOPE does, you know. The door’s open come and talk to us and see if you’re at that point where we can help you.

Kellie Niese: It does. You know, I’m a nurse by profession, but when I started working as the Pathways Program Manager, Pathways Engagement Center downtown is staffed by peer recovery coaches. So that is people that have recovered from a substance use disorder and are now working in recovery treatment. And I have never in my medical career seen someone get through to someone in a way that a peer can. Someone that has walked a similar road and has complete compassion, no judgment, and just wants to sit down and figure out where you are in life and what you need to live a happier, more well life. That’s what a peer does.

Kathy Williams: Yeah, and it’s so much easier sometimes to talk to someone like that rather than a family member.

Kellie Niese: Right.

Kathy Williams: Or your, maybe even your physician, that you can open up to somebody who really does get it.

Kellie Niese: Yeah. And doesn’t judge.

Kathy Williams: Exactly.

Kellie Niese: I mean, who else needs more judgment right? When you’re in a vulnerable position. So, that’s what peers do. And I think that that’s what the Day of HOPE brings is just a real, a platform for people to feel safe, a platform for people to feel comfortable enough to talk about struggles they may have encountered, or really just admit “I don’t know where to go for help”. And so at the Day of HOPE there will be peers and there will be people talking, maybe giving testimonials of how they reached recovery. And hopefully through that, we can find some hope.

Kathy Williams: There you go. Kellie for our listeners, if there they’d like to find out more about Pathways even, how can they do that?

Kellie Niese: So, lots of ways. So there is a Day of HOPE Facebook page, Pathways Engagement Center also has a Facebook page, and then the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, LSAPC, has a website as well. All of them have links to all the community events that we have going on in our county. In addition, Community Mental Health, that’s our organization that Pathways falls under. So anyone in need of immediate help can call Lenawee Community Mental Health and get more information about the Day of HOPE, about Pathways, or how to get connected to services.

Kathy Williams: Well, thanks so much, Kelly. And again, it’s Day of HOPE. It’s August 31st from two to six, and it’s at the Adrian farmer’s market, right downtown Adrian.

Kellie Niese: Yeah.

Kathy Williams: Thanks so much, Kellie.

Kellie Niese: Yes. I hope to see everyone there.

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.

Aug

2021

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

Show the Transcript

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.