County of Stark recently issued the following announcement.
Stark County has experienced more lives lost to overdose in the past two years than at any other time. In 2020, 131 people died due to an overdose within Stark County. The Stark County Health Department is utilizing the statewide “Beat the Stigma” campaign to help the community better understand Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and the resources that are available for people facing addiction. The stigma surrounding addiction and mental illness isn’t just cruel and misinformed; it prolongs the problem by discouraging people with substance misuse disorder and mental illness from even seeking help.
“The goal of this campaign is for us to have an honest conversation about substance use and treatment,” said Health Commissioner Kirkland Norris, REHS, MPH.
That’s the basis of a new, statewide initiative announced today by the Ohio Opioid Education Alliance in collaboration with RecoveryOhio. The Alliance is the group of community organizations and businesses that launched the “Denial, OH” campaign in 2018. Just as that campaign urged parents to talk to their children about prescription opioid misuse and to understand that anyone’s child can be at risk, the effort announced today is aimed at helping Ohioans understand that addiction and mental illness are complex diseases.
While the Denial, OH campaign focused on central Ohio, the anti-stigma messages will run across the state, starting with 30-second TV ads featuring a fictional game show called “Beat the Stigma!”
The Beat the Stigma campaign will encourage Stark County residents to do three things:
- Challenge how you think about addiction. When you see someone who lives with addiction, there’s always more to the story than you know. Practice empathy, not judgement.
- Know your risk. If there’s a history of addiction in your family, know that this increases your risk for addiction. Know your risk and talk to your loved ones about what this means so they can make informed choices.
- Take care of your mental health. Mental health challenges can put you at risk for substance misuse. The campaign will appear on broadcast television, streaming services, radio, outdoor advertising, and digital and social media. It also will engage communities across Ohio through grassroots activities.
The Stark County Health Department created the Save Stark: Overdose Prevention Resource Platform filled with local resources for those needing treatment. It will also offer interactive maps for the community to access drug drop off locations, a live view of the overdose situation in the United States, Ohio, and Stark County, a submission form for residents to share their story, and the countywide Prevention Resource and Treatment Provider Locator map.
“We are here to support your recovery journey every step of the way. We care about you and want your voice at our community table,” said Norris.
Data from a 2019 survey by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, combined with Ohio population data, suggests that 1 in 13 Ohioans struggle with addiction. Traumatic experiences such as physical or mental abuse, especially in childhood, increase a person’s risk for addiction. Mental illness also is a risk factor for addiction and the two diseases often overlap.
Messages for “Beat the Stigma” were developed by Nationwide’s national marketing and advertising agency. The state of Ohio announced its commitment of $9.75 million to the initiative in February, and today’s announcement kicks off a campaign by the Opioid Alliance to raise matching funds from businesses and community partners in Ohio.
The Stark County Combined General Health District (Stark County Health Department) was founded in 1920, serving the people of Stark County for over a century. The department is currently the ninth largest health district in the State of Ohio which serves the public health needs of over 250,000 people. The jurisdiction of the Stark County Combined General Health District is comprised of 17 Townships, 12 Villages, and the cities of Canal Fulton, Louisville, and North Canton. The mission of the department is to assess, protect, promote, and improve the health of Stark County through leadership, quality service, and community partnerships.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up