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Recovery in the News
Addiction expert: Local attitudes toward addiction must change
Kristin Steele
The Herald-Dispatch
May 30, 2007
HUNTINGTON --Addiction was on the minds of many community members Tuesday night.
Several attended a town hall meeting about addiction and substance abuse at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at the Cabell Huntington Health Department, located at 703 7th Ave
After an excerpt of an HBO documentary series "Addiction" was shown, panelists discussed addiction and substance abuse. A question and answer session also was conducted during which many spoke out about their own struggles with addiction.
During the meeting, each panelist stressed the importance of understanding two ideas. One, addiction is a disease, and two, communities must support prevention and treatment efforts to address this issue that many called a serious problem in Huntington.
Panelists included Debby Hibbard, treatment advocate; Dr. Harry Tweel, director of the Cabell-Huntington Health Department; Dr. William Webb, treatment provider for Oasis Behavioral Health; Tina Kimbro of the Renaissance Program; and Wayne County Delegate Don Perdue, chairman of the House of Delegates' Health and Human Resources Committee; and two women who are receiving treatment form Renaissance Program, Anna McCormick, 26, of Huntington and Meg Kirby, 48, of Charleston.
Webb said attitudes surrounding addiction must change before help can reach its victims.
"We're at the point now of accepting addiction as a disease," he said during the panel discussion. "There's a tremendous amount of hope. Recovery is possible."
While Webb said recovery is possible, Hibbard, who said she witnessed her daughter's experiences with addiction, said getting adequate help is difficult in West Virginia because of a lack of available treatment and waiting lists for those treatments.
About 210 beds are available in-state for those who seek a peer-directed recovery program, which is an alternative to methadone detox treatments, Webb said during the panel discussion.
One panelist said treatment saved her life.
"I was dying," McCormick said.
Some said addiction affects far too many people like McCormick and that locally, abuse is prevalent.
"We have a problem in Huntington," Tweel said. "It's here, and it's widespread. We need to address this problem, but legislature cannot do it alone."
Perdue said during the panel discussion that he thinks "the Federal government isn't viewing the problem the way it should."
He said for addiction to be addressed, the community must take ownership of the problem and take action.
"Nothing really changes until it comes from the streets," he said. "We need to get volunteers encouraged and engaged. ... We don't have a political savior out there who is going to or is able to go out and bring multitudes of people together on this issue. That multitude must come together from within. ... Meetings like this can begin that level of involvement and that level of collaboration."
The meeting was sponsored by the Health Department, Prestera Center and Cabell County Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership.
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