By Gary Ogle
gogle@wbcowqel.com
Everyone has heard that “it takes a village to raise a child.” In Bucyrus the sentiment is being extended to “it takes a community to care for an addict.”
Last weekend alone, Bucyrus police responded to three calls regarding overdoses. One of those involved an inhalant, the other two are believed to be probable heroin overdoses. One on North Spring Street was particularly relevant because the person who was suffering from an overdose had been treated before police or EMS arrived on the scene.
Bucyrus Police Chief David Koepke believes it’s the first time locally a civilian has administered an overdose treatment agent before police arrived.
“Someone with a prescription had already given the person a dose (of Nasal Naloxone),” Koepke said. The chief said later, of overdose treatments like Narcan and Naxalone, “that itself is a second chance.”
The individual who overdosed was charged with felony drug possession. Had the incident happened on Tuesday, he could not have been charged because of House Bill 110 which went into effect statewide that day. Under the new law, people who overdose cannot be charged if they seek treatment. That applies to two overdose incidents. If they overdose a third time, they can be charged.
For several years, the community from the courts to support groups to the jail and treatment centers themselves have become increasingly active in trying to promote treatment for addiction. This week Together We Hurt, Together We Heal held its sixth annual fundraising banquet. That group has purchased and remodeled a house in Bucyrus, naming it the Sycamore Recovery House. It is a transition facility for men.
“One of our goals is to fill up Sycamore House, of course. We have room for four or five young men. We want to help them get back on their feet and become productive men in society. We are hoping to open a women’s facility in the near future,” Mary Jean Hensley said.
Koepke said police have been actively encouraging those people with addiction issues they come in contact with to get help.
“We’ve been doing a lot of things to encourage people to get rehabilitation,” Koepke said. “People can take the first step toward recovery.”
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Toward that end, as well as an action more preventative in nature, Bucyrus police will be actively involved in two new programs. One is Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative, or P.A.A.R.I. It involves community volunteers acting in concert with the police department. The role of a volunteer is to mentor someone in need of assistance, much like a sponsor in Alcoholics Anonymous.
“People can’t kick this alone,” Kopke said of those addicted to opiates.
Police departments who utilize P.A.A.R.I. encourage opioid drug users to seek recovery and help distribute life-saving opioid blocking drugs to prevent and treat overdoses. They also connect addicts with treatment programs and facilities.
P.A.A.R.I. was created by Gloucester Chief Leonard Campanello.
The other program being initiated by Bucyrus police involves the Bucyrus City School District.
“We’re working with the school resource officer (Jo Stahl). She’s applying for more grants,” Koepke said. “We need to reach out to the kids.”
That “reach” will involve recovering addicts speaking to students in the schools, sharing their personal stories of getting involved with drugs, the consequences of addiction and the struggle to recover.
“These are people who have lived it. We need to help the kids understand before it’s too late,” Koepke said. “These are some people with great track records in the community as far as recovery from addiction.”
Koepke stressed the partnership aspect of the program.
“I want to thank Superintendent (Kevin) Kimmel and the schools for giving us the green light to go ahead with this.”
For additional information on either of these initiatives by the Bucyrus Police Department, contact Chief David Koepke.