The drug disposal boxes at four different locations in Highland County a success to date, Highland County Drug Abuse Prevention Coalition President Creed Culbreath said at Wednesday’s monthly meeting.
Culbreath said all of the boxes were completely filled in one month and were shipped off to an incinerator located in Tennessee.
He said new containers have been put in the four boxes. He said that he heard from a pharmacy that owned another location in a different county that has a drug disposal box as well. Culbreath said that county’s box did not get any publicity and it hasn’t filled one box “in years.”
Jeff Meyer, a member of the Prevention Committee as part of the coalition, said he spoke with someone at the probation office who said they have some grant money and wondered if the coalition was interested in getting an incinerator. However, Culbreath suggested possibly using the grant money, which Meyer was told would need to be used by Aug. 30, to pay for “another year or two” of the drug disposal boxes or shipping containers.
In other updates from the meeting:
* Culbreath gave an update on the Quick Response Team that it is continuing to meet two people a week in person. He said that for those meeting in person, “everyone has been connected to treatment, so we’ve been very pleased with that.”
* He also gave an update from REACH For Tomorrow and said the organization has gotten “nothing but positive” feedback from the men’s intensive outpatient program (IOP) with supportive housing in Ross County and the women’s IOP with supporting housing in Greenfield.
“ I know when we started the coalition, we had no residential and supportive living options in our county, at least that I’m aware of,” Culbreath said. “Now, we’ve got Massey House, we’ve got Lynn Goff and so forth, and Lake House for safe, sober living. We, I think, are really blessed because these are places where I see lives change long-term. I see the people that have gone through this program year after year and the success they’re making.”
* Roger Cheesbro, the CEO of Family Recovery Services, said the organization is starting to see people come back to the Massey House, and that the house had nine men in the house at the time of the meeting. He said the “dissipation” of COVID-19 protocols might be the biggest reason for that.
He also gave a small update on FRS Transportation, the rural transit provider for Highland County and Adams County. He also said the organization is back to driving its routes in Hillsboro.
* Bill Showman, manager of prevention and evaluation services at the Paint Valley Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health (ADAMH) Board, said the coalition drafts a community plan and updates it once a year to see if there is something people want added, removed or changed. Showman suggested for people to email suggestions for changes to the plan and that the proposed changes will be discussed at the coalition’s next meeting.
Reach Jacob Clary at 937-402-2570.
