STOW: Stow hopes to get opiate abusers help faster with a pilot program that will call in an extra resource each time police or EMS respond to an overdose.
Operation Second Chance will “connect people with the help they need once the initial emergency is over,” Stow Police Chief Jeff Film said. That “help” is Community Health Center, a 42-year-old local addiction treatment provider that will have an on-call case manager available whenever officers respond to a drug-related incident in Stow and Munroe Falls.
“This is another tool for our tool belt,” Film said. “When they hit rock bottom, if we can’t get them into treatment, a lot of times we miss our chance.”
The program also hopes to make it easier for addicts to ask for help without fear of going to jail.
Stow residents who want to self-disclose they have a drug problem can turn in drug paraphernalia and seek help without risk of arrest, provided they don’t have outstanding warrants or pending charges.
Opiate addiction has reached epidemic proportions in Northeast Ohio.
This year alone, Stow has responded to 27 overdose calls, using Narcan in at least 20 cases. In at least seven cases, the victim died.
Countywide, Narcan had been used more than 320 times since Jan. 1, and Community Health Center said it has seen a 40 percent increase in patients seeking treatment.
Stow police officers will go through training on Operation Second Chance in August, with a Sept. 1 launch date.
As new calls come in, Community Health Center will meet with the surviving individuals and offer intervention and treatment services, including transportation to the Akron center.
Community Health Center Board President Janet D’Antonio said as a resident of Stow, “I recognize our city is far enough away from Akron that it can be a barrier to people seeking treatment. This partnership will allow us to directly connect individuals in crisis with the treatment services they need in a more expedient manner. This program will be a success if we save even one life, but I am sure we will help many more.”
If the Stow program is successful, “we will explore offering this service to other municipalities,” she said. “Anything we can do to increase someone’s chances of entering treatment we are going to do.”
Film said he feels fortunate that Community Health Center selected Stow to test the program.
For more information about Operation Second Chance, call Stow police at 330-689-5700, visit the police department’s Facebook page or call Community Health Center at 330-315-3715.
Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or pschleis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/paulaschleis.