Grassroots group bands together, organizes ‘Healing Our Community’ forum for next week

A group of citizens has organized a forum, to be held at Sault College Monday, March 19, designed to bring together members of the public concerned with the opioid crisis and community agencies who are there to combat the problem.

“We are essentially just grassroots people, people who have been touched by addiction or suffered from addiction or mental health problems,” said Rachel Marzetti, one of the event’s organizers and spokesperson, speaking to SooToday Thursday.

The group connected through a newly established, locally-based Facebook page, entitled the Mental Health and Addictions Community Engagement Forum, with the slogan ‘Healing Our Community.’

The page was launched about a week after the W5/Vice Canada Steel Town Down: Overdose Crisis In The Soo documentary aired on CTV Feb. 10, feeling the production gave a wrong impression there is a lack of services to help Sault people scourged with addictions and mental health issues.

The online group quickly grew to include nearly 500 members, Marzetti said, crediting group member Cheryl Link for getting the group’s Facebook page launched with a ‘what can we do to help?’ approach.

The ‘Healing Our Community’ forum will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, March 19 at Sault College’s G1200 room (free parking in J South parking lot) said Marzetti, who said she has been through treatment in the system, both in and out of town, and is successfully recovering from an addiction.

“We realize there are a lot of great services out there, and we realize they are underfunded but we’ve mobilized those agencies (for Monday evening’s meeting) to speak about what they do have to offer, so we can dispel the idea there are no services out there,” Marzetti said.

“The services that we have are fantastic.”

“The fact we lack in how much can be provided has nothing to do with the addictions and mental health workers here. They want to be able to provide more and more and provide access for everybody. It becomes a government problem. Government funding needs to be allocated accordingly in order for them to bump up those services,” Marzetti said.    

“There are things in the works that are happening…yes, we understand there are wait times and sometimes you get shuffled around, we get that, we understand it and it’s frustrating, but there are also services like the Walk-In Counselling Service held every Tuesday by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).”

Marzetti said she applauds Sault Area Hospital’s current quest for provincial government approval for a new $11 million Level III Withdrawal Management Services facility for the community.

Level I and II withdrawal management involves a supportive environment such as residential withdrawal, whereas Level III also involves medical withdrawal management. 

Workers from agencies such as Algoma Public Health (specifically the Community Alcohol And Drug Assessment Program), the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), the Indian Friendship Centre, The John Howard Society, Canadian Addiction Treatment Centre, Sault College, Health and Recovery Program (HARP), Algoma Family Services and Sault Area Hospital, to name a few, will be on hand for Monday’s forum.

The forum will also include Sault entertainer Timothy Murphy, a prominent community member who has lived and experienced an addiction and is successful in his recovery.

There will also be pharmacists available with a limited quantity of Naloxone kits and training information.

“We’ve got a lot of good agencies to join the panel, and the panelists will introduce themselves and what they do and what services they offer,” Marzetti said.

Information tables and staff for each agency will line the hallway leading to Sault College’s G1200 room.

Index cards will be sitting on audience seats, for audience members to write down questions to ask the panelists in a moderated question and answer session.

“The people from the agencies are donating their time, energy and expertise for the meeting, over and above what they do every day,” Marzetti said.

Marzetti said she wants the forum to have a positive ‘work together’ feel, and not a critical, verbal ‘lynching’ of agencies.

“If it’s a matter of just making a connection for one person (with the appropriate agency), then we’ve done this for a very good reason, and if we can connect a lot of people, great.”

“Personally, from doing this, if I can reach one person that needs help, to navigate a system that can be confusing and sometimes frustrating, then this entire endeavour will be worth it,” Marzetti said.  

“We’re hoping this isn’t just a one time thing. In a couple of months we hope to mobilize a bigger community, a bigger picture, but we need to take the baby steps now.”

Anyone wishing to contact the ‘Healing Our Community’ group may do so by email at [email protected]