Collaboration key to fighting addiction

I call attention to Ohio’s opiate epidemic. Each week, we continue to see more and more overdose deaths in communities throughout Ohio.

I recognize that our federal, state, and local leaders have and continue to work to address this epidemic, but collectively we have not done enough to stem the tide. People throughout our communities, our state, and our nation keep dying.

We need to do more to educate individuals about the chronic nature of addiction; we need to do more to treat individuals with addiction; we need to do more to support families affected by addiction; and we need to do more to remind people that there is hope — hope and understanding that treatment works and people recover.

We must start at the local level, but local efforts alone will not solve this problem, just like the federal or state government alone cannot solve this problem. We all must to come together and work collaboratively to end this epidemic. Additionally, we must make sure we’re addressing this issue on every front, with every available dollar, in every way possible. We need to focus on prevention, education, intervention, interdiction, treatment and recovery. We need to ensure access to treatment in real time. We need to put harm-reduction programs in place. We need to educate all Ohioans about addiction, and the specifics and differences of this addiction and the drugs being abused.

As an individual in recovery from addiction and the daughter of a mother who was an opiate addict, I have spent the past 35 years both personally and professionally working to address addiction and help individuals in need. I know the human toll of addiction on individuals, families and communities. I also know that it is going to take a tremendous effort to stem the tide of this particular epidemic. Lastly, I know that we have to offer hope to all communities, families and individuals impacted by this epidemic.

We need to talk about addiction as a chronic disease of the brain, and make sure that people know and understand that treatment works and that people do recover!

All Ohioans — every sector of every community — must come together to prioritize and marshal all available resources and leverage all relationships to effectively end this epidemic in Ohio. I pledge to do my part, and I hope that sooner than later we will all begin to see this epidemic subside.

Cheri L. Walter

Chief executive officer Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities Columbus