WARSAW — Public figures in Kosciusko County emphasized the importance of community in battling addictions during “The Opioid Epidemic: Our Community Speaks” Wednesday evening, Jan. 15.

The event at Center Lake Pavilion was hosted by the Bowen Center, moderated by Mayor Joe Thallemer and funded with a $5,000 grant from Accelerate Indiana Municipalities

Many of the speakers focused on different programs designed to battle opioids and other drugs in Kosciusko County.

The speakers also included those in recovery who also underscored the importance of community support.

But the night also included updates on various programs in the county.

Isolation is a catalyst for addiction, according to Matthew Graham of the Bowen Center. By battling isolation “by integrating people back into a lifestyle of hope, of connection, of meaning, that really changed the outcomes of those in the sobriety process,” he said.

Kosciusko County Sheriff Kyle Dukes and Jail Chemical Addiction Program (JCAP) Coordinator Courtney Jenkins highlighted the efforts going on inside Kosciusko County Jail. 

Dukes highlighted the need for the NET43 drug task force, which he campaigned for and established after the 2018 election. The multi-jurisdictional unit is focusing on opioids, heroin and meth and is “absolutely crucial,” he said.

“The pounds of meth that NET43 has purchased, that has been taken off our streets is amazing,” said Dukes. “It’s unbelievable.”

Dukes unveiled a NET43 t-shirt that promotes a tipline for the public, and credited the role of the public in NET43 operations.

“It’s working because you guys are calling in the tips,” he said. “That smallest tip could be the smallest piece of information that we are looking for.”

While every caller with tips may not get a response from the Sheriff’s Office, said Dukes, every bit of information is appreciated. “We hear it and we take every tip very seriously,” Dukes said.

Through NET43, 140 individuals have been booked in the county jail. As of Wednesday evening, there were 256 incarcerated in the county jail. Eighty-three percent of those currently incarcerated are for drug-related issues.

Over the past nearly two years, many of those arrested on drug charges had the opportunity to develop a support structure and overcome addiction through the JCAP program. 

In addition to JCAP, Dukes said he intends to expand the jail ministry program by contacting every area pastor to participate and minister to inmates. “We’re going to give the opportunity for every church in Kosciusko County to participate,” he said.

“Offering programs is huge and a step in the right direction,” he said.

With a near 60% success rate, JCAP provides inmates with an environment and resources to get their lives back on a positive path.

While JCAP alternates between a women’s program and a men’s program, Dukes said the county jail is gathering funding to concurrently hold JCAP programs for men and women.

“What’s different about our program is the people sitting in this room,” said Jenkins. The unique aspect of JCAP is deep involvement from community organizations and individuals.

“When I work with these organizations and these individuals who come in and give of their time so freely and stay in contact with our participants after they leave,” Jenkins said, “That’s the difference in what we have with JCAP.”

“We are a community that genuinely cares and wraps their arms around them from the start until way down the road, it doesn’t end when they walk out our jail,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins challenged the community to do something in getting involved with helping those in the JCAP program.

Circuit Court Judge Mike Reed highlighted the drug court programs offered by the Kosciusko County justice system.

The drug court started in 2014, consists of a team of 12 people, according to Reed. Contributors include recovery providers, halfway houses and the probation department. The drug court program saw its first graduate in 2015. As of Dec. 2019, 55 individuals have graduated from the program, he said.

“What’s important about our graduates is they got their lives back,” said Reed. Even those terminated from the program in the past have gone on to recover from addiction and lead successful lives based on their time in the drug court program. Reed mentioned one such woman is now three and a half years into recovery.

Superior Court Judge David Cates echoed the need for local solutions among the community. “All politics is local and solutions start with you,” he said.

Cates also mentioned an uptick in children in need of services cases. “These cases involve children who have been abused and neglected in many kinds of different forms,” said Cates.

Kosciusko County courts have 115 open CHINS cases, according to Cates. “101 involve serious drug allegations,” he said. Seventy children in the county are impacted by meth and opioids.

Cates and the Indiana Department of Child Services are formulating a family recovery court, for CHINS kids and their families. The court will address substance abuse issues, emotional issues, mental health issues and trauma. “It’s a big task, but it’s a big problem,” he said.

By building community and working with inmates on their path to recovery, Cates is able to experience what he claims is his favorite part of the job, “reuniting kids with sober, responsible parents.”

Near the end of the evening, Graham from Bowen Center and Shelly Metzger from Boundless, an addiction recovery program, spoke about creating experiences to foster recovery.

“We need to create a community of people to come alongside,” said Metzger, as a call to action to provide recovering addicts with learning experiences.

According to Metzger, it takes about a year for the survival part of the brain to make changes based on new experiences. “That’s where community comes in,” she said. Both Graham and Metzger said the community will foster new experiences to alleviate the isolation that may trigger addictive behaviors.

In a call to action, County Council member Kimberly Cates said, “I want you to search your hearts, and donate some time and talent,” regarding supporting the organizations in the county that foster community in the battle against opioid and drug addiction. “There are organizations in here who would love to hear from you and solve this issue,” said Cates.

A similar event will be hosted at the Syracuse Community Center,1013 North Long Drive, Syracuse, Thursday, Jan. 30, 6-8 p.m.