The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Group aims to break stigma
Shot of Hope offers strategies to ease suffering of addiction, mental health
Local organizations are working hard to break the stigma off of mental health and addiction.
Place to Recover (P2R) Training and Resource Center has collaborated with Lorain church God’s Kngdom; Mental Health and Recovery Services (MHARS) Board of Lorain County and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to host three phases of A Shot of Hope.
The first phase boasted a pastoral gathering to discuss mental health and addiction in faithbased communities.
The discussion took place Aug. 17 at God’s Kngdom church, 423 Washington Ave. in Lorain.
Wendy Caldwell, founder and CEO of P2R, said this event was created out of need.
“I could see that people were suffering and in silence,” Caldwell said. “It’s unnecessary because there is help available.”
She said she believes the church can be a catalyst for healing in regards to mental illness and substance abuse.
“We hold the most power, but we need more information and tools to go forward,” Caldwell said.
The three-part event is funded by OhioMHAS State Opioid Response, which is a faith-based stigma reduction expansion project.
The focus was to promote dialogue about mental health and substance use disorders in the faith community, Caldwell said.
Attendees left the discussion with strategies to improve outcomes about mental health and substance use disorders.
Pastors were equipped with resources and information from the MHARS Board and NAMI.
Darla Jones Kimbro, a NAMI volunteer and former senior pastor in Elyria, shared her testimony regarding her son’s mental illness diagnosis.
“I think it was important to share, because pastors do go through all kinds of distress,” Kimbro said. “In my instance, it’s an example of going outside of traditional healing methods in the faith community.
“I had to turn to NAMI as a resource to get help for my family, and it’s just not prevalent in the Black church.”
Kimbro said she believes there are less African Americans seeking help for mental illness due to stigma.
Michael Doud, the new MHARS Board director, said he feels positive about the direction the agency is heading.
Doud is a Lorain native and said he is happy to service his hometown.
“It’s coming back home,” he said. “I’m excited to see that folks in this area are very passionate about this work.”
Doud said the development of a crisis center could be in the near future.
“People are very passionate about seeing the development of a new crisis center,” he said. “There are a lot of eyes on Lorain County, so if we can get this right, it will set a standard.”
Phase II will focus primarily on resource distribution, Caldwell said.
“The goal is to disseminate resource information throughout the community and create opportunities to engage in discussion that motivates,” she said.
The event will be a collaboration solely between P2R and God’s Kngdom.
The culmination will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sept. 18, at Greater Victory Christian Ministries in Lorain, 559 Reid Ave.
The third phase will include a continental breakfast, a series of workshops and featured speaker Jim Joyner, of Joyner and Associates.