Commissioners proclaim Overdose Awareness Day; community invited to Aug. 28 observance

Highland County commissioners Brad Roades, Terry Britton and David Daniels issued a proclamation Wednesday, Aug. 20 in honor of Overdose Awareness Day, with several local events planned for this year’s observance.

Accepting the proclamation were Kim Davis and Jon Parr of the Highland County Probation Department, both of whom are active with Highland County’s New Way to Recovery Drug Court as well as Hope for Highland County and the Highland County Drug Abuse Prevention Coalition.

According to the State of Ohio, “With a goal of raising awareness, supporting communities in the fight against drug addiction, and remembering loved ones lost to the epidemic, the state will observe ‘Ohio Overdose Awareness Day’ on Aug. 31. The observance was officially sanctioned on June 8, 2021, when Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 30, sponsored by Sen. Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls), into law.”

Davis said that while Ohio recognizes Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31 annually, Highland County will be hosting their event Thursday, Aug. 28 from 7-8 p.m. at the Highland County Courthouse lawn. The event is free and open to the public.

“Highland County is going to have a memorial service in recognition of those that have lost their lives on the 28th,” Davis said. “We'll have speakers, food, lots of items to give out. We'll have resource tables. We'll have counselors there as well, if anybody has questions about treatment or getting into treatment.

“It is for the community. We have a lot of parents, again, even in our county, siblings, who have lost loved ones from an overdose, and it is a way for them to come and have the support and be able to have access to resources that they may need as well for themselves or even other siblings or grandchildren. We would love to see a great turnout again this year.”

Other area observances are planned in connection with Overdose Awareness Day and for Recovery Month, which is recognized each September, Davis said. Those events include the Kristen Cannon Memorial Run/Walk on Aug. 23 at Liberty Park.

“They’ll have a cornhole tournament and activities scheduled all day,” Davis said. “It'll be for mental health awareness and and recovery awareness as well.”

On Aug. 30, the Adam’s Hope Walk will be held in Greenfield, according to Davis.

“It’ll have a full day of events and speakers and just recovery resources available as well,” she said.

If you are struggling with addiction and need help, you can visit https://findtreatment.gov or https://pvadamh.org/contract-providers/ to find mental and substance use disorder help near you. If you are feeling suicidal, please call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

After hearing from Davis, Roades read the proclamation acknowledging Aug. 31 as Ohio Overdose Awareness Day and “encouraging all residents, organizations, schools and agencies, to observe the day with appropriate remembrance, education, outreach and support opportunities to heal and save lives.” 

In other discussion:

• Highland County JFS Director Jeremy Ratcliff also spoke about a recent trip to Belmont County with Highland County Board of DD superintendent Larry Gray to look into a program for potential implementation locally at some point.

"They've got pretty nice program up there with a house that their Board of DD purchased, and it's a nice collaboration between JFS and DD and some service providers,” Ratcliff said. “It's for respite, potentially older DD children and even children that aren’t DD eligible that maybe don't have placement right away. There were three or four more beds in there where those children could stay, as opposed to sleeping in the lobby. 

“They’re kind of seeing local advantage services being offered to families by these children. Maybe even a two-hour break twice a week is extremely beneficial for those families.”

• Highland County Sheriff Randy Sanders reported that an HCSO cruiser was totaled this week. 

• ARPA funding coordinator Nicole Oberrecht said they are seeking “statements of qualification” for a long-discussed, partially grant-funded MARCS tower for the county.

Commissioners also made the following approvals, each by a 3-0 vote:

• A quote from Loft Furniture of approximately $36,291.52 for furniture at the Administration Building. Clerk Ashleigh Willey said it will likely change slightly as they need another “matching desk for the office we have upstairs in our commissioners’ room” and need to add it to the quote.

• A 60-month lease contract between Quadient Leasing USA Inc. and the Clerk of Courts for postage.

• Terms of engagement for a contract regarding economic development matters with commissioners, the county’s economic development office and the Bricker Graydon law firm.

“This is legal services for the economic development department that deals specifically with the [Marriott] hotel project that's going on, so it's a very narrow scope,” Daniels said.

• A reapproval of an amendment to a IV-D contract with commissioners, Highland County CSEA and the state Department of Job and Family Services. Ratliff said they had to “resubmit it for [the state’s] approval” first before the county could authorize it.

• The hiring of Erin Dunham as a warden for the county dog pound at a rate of $19 an hour.

• An $1,887 quote from DBT Transportation Services, a provider for the Automated Weather Observation System at the Highland County Airport.

• The appointment of Amy Bradley as the CORSA Loss Control Coordinator for Highland County.

• A request from JFS for a transfer from Public Assistance Fund (2050) to Children Services Fund (2115) in the amount of $26,250.

• A resolution for Job and Family Services to declare listed items as no longer needed by the County and obsolete, ORC 307.12 (I). Therefore, the board declared the items to be surplus property and no longer needed by the County.

• An additional appropriation from unappropriated funds within (4040) Hi-TEC Capital Improvement Fund in the amount of $55,000.

• A request from Victim Witness to create the following line item within the 2540 Victim Witness fund: Training.

• An additional appropriation from unappropriated funds within the (4220) Airport Capital Improvement Fund in the amount of $24,300.

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