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Heroin recovery options
David Romano

 

“A lot people say if someone is on heroin just forget about them, they are a lost cause, well that’s not true.” This is what Karyn Hall, director of community relations for the Mental Health and Recovery Board in Portage County had to say.

[pullquote]It’s our job to plan, fund, and monitor all the mental health and drug addiction programs for the residents of the county[/pullquote]

According to mha.ohio.gov, Portage County ranks 9th out of the 88 counties in ohio with how many residents can stay in the recovery homes, there are 55 facilities and centers that offer a 90-day program for people trying to recover in Ohio. Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County is one of the programs that gets calls from addicts seeking help. The Mental Health Boards has a job, “it’s our job to plan, fund, and monitor all the mental health and drug addiction programs for the residents of the county,” Hall said. The recovery board finds the best situation for each individual addict. “We have two 90-day residential homes in Portage County plus we have a couple recovery houses,” she said.

County                                                     # of residents that recovery homes can hold

Summit	115
Cuyahoga	103
Lucas	77
Lorain	75
Hamilton	52
Franklin	47
Adams	30
Mahoning	29
Clark	27
Portage	25

The two main recovery homes in portage county are the Horizon Halfway House in Ravenna, run by TownHall II, which holds 15 women, and the Root House in Ravenna, which can accommodate 10 men. Typically there is a waiting list, but the health board does not want people to fall into relapses. “After you go through detox, you need to have treatment, Hall said. Afterwards a lot of times that’s when deaths occur.”

“Stigma, there is a lot of negative stereo type that surrounds people struggling with addiction and that is a big barrier for someone to get help, when they are to embarrassed or too ashamed and the same thing for their family members,” Hall said.

According to mental-health-recovery.org the Health & Recovery Board’s goal is to “Break Down stigma to encourage people through education and community.”

 

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