Mosaic Place hosts community for discussion
Session focuses on recovery
More than 50 people turned out for a Georgia Council on Substance Abuse (GCSA) community listening session last Thursday at Highland Rivers Health’s Mosaic Place recovery center in Cedartown. The public dialogue examined trends in drug use in Georgia and the role of recovery community organizations (RCOs) like Mosaic Place in engaging local communities in recovery efforts.
Mosaic Place, one of several RCOs funded by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, provides a variety of support services – including education, peer support, 12-step groups, employment support and more – to local individuals seeking or living in recovery with substance use disorders.
The center, which opened in October on West Ave. near downtown, provides support services and other activities six days a week and has served more than 2,000 individuals since opening.
“We meet people where they are when they come in the door,” said Debra Minneman, Mosaic Place outreach coordinator, who – like all the Mosaic staff – lives in long-term recovery. “We don’t judge, we are here to support you, to support our community.”
Emily Ribblett, GCSA building communities of recovery coordinator, works to help recovery community organizations build long-term sustainability and expand services in their communities.
“Recovery is not an exception, it is an expectation,” said Ribblett. “We have seen increases in opioid use, in heroin use, in suicide too, so having community support for recovery is more critical now than ever.”
Following her presentation, organizers asked attendees for their perspective on what’s working in the community, as well as what could be better. Reponses indicated that community members were generally pleased with local services, mentioning One Door Polk, Highland Rivers, local schools, the housing authority, drug court and several local churches as positive parts of the community.
Responses also indicated community members would like to see more resources for individuals in recovery, including better shelters and transitional housing resources, more resources to support parents, more positive activities for youth, better transportation options and more unity as things that could be better.
Closing out the event, Lydia Goodson, Mosaic Place peer navigator, noted that recovery needs to be a community priority, and that individuals in recovery must share their stories in order to educate others.
“We have to tell our stories, we have to help people understand what recovery is and why it’s important. We can reduce the stigma. Cedartown is my community – I got sick here, but I also got well here. Everyone can support recovery,” said Goodson.