Voices of Hope, uses a grassroots self-organization model, to encourage community members to fight the stigma around substance use disorder and bring recovery, support and educational resources to The Deerfield Valley under our current state grant which is in partnership with Deerfield Valley Partnership.
We have completed two community discussions on stigmatizing language and attitudes, those were led by Police Department liaison Knowles Wentworth, and Elizabeth McEwen a person in long term recovery, Cheryl Rusin who lost her son to addiction and Pastor Jeremy Kirk of the UCC Church in West Dover.
Community outreach: Cheryl Rusin and Cathy Quigley are reaching out to community businesses on the erasure of the stigma and importance of science behind the use of Naloxone and the need to be prepared by keeping “kits” at their place of business.
A ten week ad campaign in the local Deerfield Valley News is planned along with two community presentations planned for September (Recovery Month) and October.
