Toward the end of January, relink.org was inspired to begin a project with two of our connections that are having an incredible impact in the community, and they both help indiviuals recover from substance use disorder and combat the opioid epidemic in Ohio. Relink.org is blessed with a multitude of partnerships and a network of possibilities; this sparked a project opportunity with two local organizations—Hope Over Heroin and Families Impacted by Opioids. 

The focus of this project is two fold. First, provide an ongoing continuum of care case managment model to help individuals in recovery along their journey. Second, we seek to include families in the recovery process by offering them direction, support and education. Those struggling with addiction are not the only ones impacted; families are often torn apart and separated by stress. Separation and divorce rates increase tremendously when substance use disorders interfere in the family dynamic. This holisitic program is designed to keep everyone that is impacted involved in the process. Our goal is to create a system of care for families who may feel like the hill of the opioid epidemic is too steep to climb, take one step a time. In Ohio, and all over the country, families navigating the world of substance use disorder come across additional hurdles almost every time: a lack of direction, support and education. This partnership aims to solve each, and give families a stronger foundation on which to support their loved ones who are struggling with this disease. 

We plan to coordinate and manage multiple healthcare providers & programs in the substance use disorders continuum plan of treatment. This plan consists of the Family Solution Finder Learning Series provided by Families Impacted by Opioids, on going care coordination and managment with individualized plans and direct contact from Hope Over Heroin. relink.org will play the role of “connector” as we assist individuals with locating providers in their area and leading them towards the services of our two partners.

Relink.org, along with two community partners, Hope Over Heroin and Families Impacted by Opioids, have combined their specialized strengths to bring individuals struggling with opioid use disorders and their families in Cuyahoga County a comprehensive continuum of care program vital for long-term recovery. This program provides continuity across the entire continuum of care for SUD recovery. The geographies targeted were selected by analyzing zip codes with the highest overdose rates and cities known for their diversity and traditionally low availability of quality SUD support for individuals and families. Services provided include individual case management of a comprehensive recovery plan, tracking all services throughout one’s recovery journey and family education.

As a team, we are looking to make a great impact in Northeast Ohio, where we know there is a great need for additional services. All three organizations in the collaborations call NE Ohio home, so it is an ideal place to begin this initiative.

relink is honored to partner with two dedicated organizations for this project:

Families Impacted by Opioids was founded by Mr. Roy P. Poillon as a nonprofit 501C3 organization Cleveland, Ohio for the purpose of educating families living with substance use disorders. The structure is designed to be implemented at the county level by key stakeholders from within the community. All the materials and content to educate families members about the 32 key issues they are likely to face in their journey are included to our programs.  The Family Solution Finder Learning Centers is installed by a local community stakeholder, at the county level to offer family members a local education resource using the Family Solution Finder Learning Series. Roy sees substance use disorders as a chronic disease and has passion for seeing individuals and families completely restored.