Heroin To Hope Event Comes To Lakewood Tuesday

LAKEWOOD, OH — Seventy-seven people overdosed on heroin in Lakewood in 2017. Eleven people died from those overdoses. That's why the city is unveiling a new program to try and halt the spread of opioid addiction and help people battling addiction win their fight.

Project SOAR, the city's new program supporting opioid addiction recovery, will be unveiled Tuesday, April 17 as part of the third installment of the Heroin to Hope community conversations series. A collaborative initiative, the program will speed up access to treatment and recovery for people battling addiction; provide peer support to both victims and their families; and provide other support and resources for both victims and families.

“Innovative approaches to challenging problems are what we should be doing,” said Mayor Mike Summers. “Project Soar epitomizes innovation, compassion and grass roots efforts.”

The peer support program is particularly promising.

“In the recovery world we call it terminal uniqueness,” Gina Bonaminio, peer support coordinator for Project SOAR and the Woodrow Project, said. “When we’re in the throes of our addiction we really think there’s nobody out there who understands what we’re going through and who can help us with anything, be that recovery or anything in life.”

Letting someone like Bonaminio into the emergency department could help save someone's life, she said.

The program will be unveiled at the third Heroin to Hope event, which will again be hosted by the Lakewood United Methodist Church, 15700 Detroit Rd.

During the April 17 program, attendees will be able to engage in a community conversation, get training on Project DAWN Naloxone kits, explore a large resource room and take part in a family support discussion. There will also be a prescription drug drop box on-site.

The initiative is a collaborative community initiative that is designed to stem the opioid crisis in Lakewood. The city, the Cleveland Clinic Lakewood Emergency Department, the Woodrow Project, and the Cuyahoga County ADAMHS Board are all involved in the program.

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch