By MELODY METZGER – Article courtesy of The Lamar Democrat.
The Lamar Drug Free Coalition, as well as members of the newly granted Project ROCK (Reducing Opioids for our Communities and Kids), gathered Monday evening, June 10, at the AOK administrative office at 208A W. 10th St., in Lamar. The drug free coalition meets the second Monday of each month, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
The Lamar Drug Free Coalition and Project ROCK are from two individual grants encompassed under About Our Kids (AOK). The two will work with each other towards the eradication of destructive behavior. The drug free coalition is heading into its fourth year of a five year grant, while Project ROCK will be in its initial stage. Project ROCK will cover Barton, Cedar and Dade counties and is a community-based program funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s federal office of Rural Health Policy (HRSA). The meeting was led by Jerod Morey, project coordinator, who had those attending introduce themselves and tell how or why they are associated with the coalition. As there were some new members attending, Morey spoke on the P3 app and told how a community resource officer was able to be hired through the drug free grant. The community resource officer, Robert Lawrence, was unable to attend the meeting to give his report, as he was at community resource officer training, along with Lamar Police Chief Rusty Rives. Morey also reported on policies that had been enacted due to the grant, including the closing of the park overnight, as well as an ordinance banning loitering at vacant or closed businesses after hours. Also mentioned was the addition to school policy regarding the use of the drug dog.
Morey spoke on CADCA (Community Anti Drug Coalitions of America) training and said that if anyone was interested in attending any of the conferences, to let him know. He also reported that all necessary items for the fourth year of the See Something/Say Something CADCA grant have been submitted. Morey reported that the P3 app was gaining momentum and it is hoped to have some type of setup during the Lamar Free Fair in order to introduce both coalitions to the community. He stated that response time after a tip is received was five to 10 minutes; however, it is only effective within the city of Lamar. Morey mentioned that a new action plan is needed with the coalition and asked each member to give it some thought and report back at the next meeting. Steve Miller with Community Partnerships of the Ozarks out of Springfield had brought several boxes of the disposable bags that can be used to dissolve out-of-date or unused medications. It was also reported that the Med Station has agreed to carry the bags, Morey stated that the Med Station is the only hometown pharmacy and that he had been told that they would do anything they could to help the coalition. It is hoped in the future that this might be a drop-off spot for prescription medications.
Miller reported that an assessment that was sent to various coalition members had been received with the following problems being ranked: 1. Drug endangered child, 2. Mental health, 3. Domestic violence/sexual abuse, 4. Underage alcohol consumption, 5. Medication abuse, 6. Child abuse and neglect, 7. Methamphetamines, 8. Marijuana, 9. Suicide Prevention, 10. Tobacco use, 11. Gangs/youth violence and 12. Other. Miller spoke of the need to address these issues and spoke of training that is offered. He said, “The sooner we address the problem, the further ahead we’ll be”.
Lori Cable, who is the grant writer for AOK, reported that two other grants are pending, with notifications to be given around June or July. Campus Pastor Bryan Tabakian with CHIPs (Church for Imperfect People) was attending for his first time. He reported that he was involved with Project Recovery and stated that Convey of Hope helped CHIPs feed members of the community. He also mentioned there was a Sunday Night Youth Ministry held at Nathan’s Place on the northwest side of the Lamar square.
Another new representative present was Dr. Thomas Hopkins, who spoke on the necessity to build trust prior to introducing the P3 app to patients. Following a lengthy round table discussion, Morey expressed the need on how to address the various issues, what can be done about it here and now and what can be expected in the future. Copies of a new logo for Project ROCK were introduced, with members giving various suggestions on what needed to be done before the final approval. The card is being designed by Nick Jenkins and there were three options to choose from. The meeting adjourned to meet again on Monday, July 8, 5:30 p.m. All individuals interested in working toward the eradication of destructive behaviors are welcome to attend and bring a friend.