he Stark County Health Department partnered with Newsymom earlier this year to launch the Striving Toward a Healthier Community campaign to raise awareness about a variety of public health programs and services. The fifth video, in a 12-video installment, focuses on overdose prevention and healthy living. The video entitled, A Healthy Stark Community, reminds residents that substance use disorder (SUD) is a disease and that healthy living is important for their health. The video can be found on the health department’s YouTube Channel or at www.starkhealth.org.
“We strive to make our county a healthier place for everyone. We implement programs like Creating Healthy Communities and our Overdose Prevention initiative that can help us get there,” said Administration and Support Services Director Kay Conley, MPA, CHES. “The Administration and Support Service area offers Stark County residents health education programming, community health plans, emergency preparedness, birth and death certificates, and more.”
The overdose prevention coordinator heads Project DAWN, a Narcan distribution program. The program works to increase the county’s linkages to overdose prevention supports, harm reduction services, and treatment access. This work is imperative in keeping up with the local task force, community awareness, maximize resources, and reduce stigma. It is important to know that substance use disorder is a chronic disease. Addiction is a medical condition that affects a person’s brain and behavior which can break down relationships. In 2020, there were 131 deaths due to overdose in Stark County.
The health department provides free Narcan kits to the community. Narcan is a medication that reverses an overdose, through the Project DAWN program. Another way to prevent overdose, is disposing of unused medication through DeTerra bags. These bags are free and help residents dispose of prescriptions. Residents may also use one of 30 drug take-back sites located around the county. All of these services and resources are available at our Save Stark landing page.
This campaign has also been used to share healthy eating habits and resources with residents. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1 in 5 children in Stark County are food insecure. This means there is unreliable access to adequate food year-round. The Creating Health Communities program and the Live Well Stark County coalition are working to address this issue. Creating Health Communities is a program committed to preventing and reducing chronic disease statewide. This program incorporates collaboration with different community partners, improvement of access to and affordability of healthy food, and additional opportunities for physical activity. Live Well Stark County, a coalition of community members, strives to make Stark County healthier by promoting policies, systems, and environmental changes that support wellness.
“We invite our residents to visit www.starkhealth.org for more information on all of our programs or to call 330.493.9904 to speak with a member of our staff,” said Conley. “Together, we can make our community healthier and safer.”
Original source can be found here.
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