(Submitted by Wood County Prevention Coalition)
The Wood County Prevention Coalition received a grant for the Ohio MAT Awareness Project from Prevention Action Alliance and the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services in November 2017.
As a part of their efforts, they have partnered with the Wood County Educational Service Center, Bowling Green Economic Development Commission, Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce, and the Wood County Economic Development Commission for a Lunch & Learn event where they will discuss addiction in the workplace and how to best support employees who may be struggling with addiction and wish to seek treatment.
“We know that people are dying. That seems to be a metric that many people focus on,” said Milan Karna, coordinator of the Wood County Prevention Coalition. “The opioid epidemic is effecting businesses too. In Ohio, employers are losing 5.4 million dollars each day in productivity and medical costs. We have to do more to support businesses and their employees.”
“There is no one-size-fits-all approach to the treatment and recovery process, and everyone’s path will look different.” said Felicia Otte, School & Community Based Prevention Specialist at the Wood County Educational Service Center. “Some individuals may be successful with abstinence, while others may need to turn to medication. Whatever that path looks like, community support will play a critical role in helping fight the epidemic.”
The Lunch & Learn event will be held at the Wood County Educational Service Center, 1867 N. Research Drive, Bowling Green, at 11:30 a.m. on May 25. There will be guest speakers, lunch, and refreshments provided. For more information about this event, please call (419) 354-9010 Ext. 174 or email: mkarna@wcesc.org.
