(New Philadelphia, Ohio) – Tuscarawas County residents will soon start noticing silhouettes throughout different communities across the county.
It’s all part of an annual awareness project designed to bring more attention to challenges and tragedies related to local substance abuse and addiction. Beginning Saturday, August 21st, the silhouettes, 30 across the county, will be placed in highly visible areas. Each community will display:
- One black silhouette – representing fatal overdoses in Tuscarawas County
- One gray silhouette – representing overdoses per city (that did not result in a death)
- One yellow silhouette – representing “There is Always Hope”
- One yard sign promoting the Tuscarawas County Hope Line (330) 663-6812
The effort is in response to an all-time record high of overdose deaths in 2020. And, in March 2021, an all-time one-month record high of overdose deaths recorded in Tuscarawas County.
The Tuscarawas County Anti-Drug Coalition and Addiction Task Force is dedicated to raising awareness that there is help and there is hope for those struggling with substance use and addiction. The initiative is designed to help community members better understand addiction while connecting those struggling with the resources and support, they need.
The new Tuscarawas County Hope Line connects callers directly with a single person and is not a redirect number. Rachel, the access navigator, answers the phone or calls the individual back. She then works with the caller to identify appropriate substance use and addiction treatment services available. She also provides support and additional resources to families or loved ones who may know someone struggling with substance use or addiction. “We want to create clear visibility that there are services that can help and that there is always hope,” added Tuscarawas County Anti-Drug Coalition Coordinator Jodi Salvo. “We want to continue to encourage our community to seek and share resources and to realize the importance of reaching out and checking in on each other.”
Communities participating in this year’s Project Hope include Bolivar, Dover, Mineral City, Newcomerstown, New Philadelphia, Port Washington, Strasburg, Sugarcreek, Tuscarawas, and the Twin City area (Dennison/Uhrichsville).
The silhouettes will be distributed as the initiative is launched on August 21st during the local Music on the Square event in New Philadelphia. The public is invited to attend the event where at 4:00 p.m. they will hear from a local young woman in recovery as well as a proclamation from a Tuscarawas County Commissioner recognizing both National Overdose Awareness Day and National Recovery Month.
The overall message of this initiative is that Tuscarawas County is a community that cares, an that “There is Always Hope.”
For more information on local prevention efforts and resources visit adctusc.org. For information about substance use and addiction services available in the county, contact the ADAMHS Board at adamhtc.org.
