Provoking Hope observes Overdose Awareness Month

Last Friday, Aug. 23, was a day of celebration and mourning for the folks at Provoking Hope.

In honor of Drug Overdose Awareness Month, Provoking Hope took time to honor the lives of people lost to drug overdose.

Twenty-six silhouettes lined the brick wall of the Provoking Hope parking lot to represent the 26 people who died of drug overdoses at Willamette Valley Medical Center in 2017, the most recent year for which data is available.

Provoking Hope Recovery Services is a nonprofit that partners with local services to provide hope and healing for people suffering from substance addiction.

The event was also a time to highlight the programs offered at Provoking Hope.

Executive Director Diane Reynolds took the microphone and asked the whole audience to shout the program’s mantra, “Wake up.” She said she wants addicts to wake up to the realities of their addiction, but she also wants the community to wake up and start helping.

“People think solution means get them clean and sober,” she said. “That isn’t the only solution.”

Reynolds continued, “Because (those addicted) use dirty needles and have shared needles, they have Hep-C, they have HIV, they have sexually transmitted diseases. So, a part of the bigger picture of solution is helping people to not cost our taxpayers $33,000 for one treatment for Hep-C.”

Reynolds said the county has approximately 1,500 people suffering from hepatitis C, a disease that could be prevented.

On that front, Reynolds announced Provoking Hope’s newest program, a needle exchange called The One. It will provide clean needles in exchange for dirty ones as a way to reduce discarded needles in public and prevent the spread of disease among intravenous drug users.

Yamhill County Health and Human Services donated an ambulance for Provoking Hope to use to frequent rural areas of the county where it will administer clean needles and build relationships with those in need of services. Additionally, the repurposed ambulance will carry bagged lunches, backpacks and hygiene kits for those who need them.

Chris Wright and Jesse Maxwell, two certified recovery mentors, will head the program.

 “I think one of the most important parts of it is it’s being operated by certified recovery mentors who came from a past of IV use,” Maxwell said. “We have personal experience.”

He added, “These people are coming in broken, looking for clean needles, right? We can provide that, but when they’re ready … we’ve already established that relationship with them. There’s no guessing game. They know Jesse and Chris. They know who to go talk to when they’re ready to do something different.”

Several staff and volunteers took turns sharing their experiences with Provoking Hope and highlighting services that are offered, including long-term mentoring and respective mom’s and dad’s groups.

“It’s not once and done and you’re fixed,” Reynolds said. “It’s a lifetime of recovery.”

Reynolds took the stage once more and opened up the mic to anyone who wanted to share their story of recovery.

During that time, a handful of people took turns standing up in front of the group and sharing their path through recovery. While personal stories varied, they all credited Provoking Hope for where they are today and they all had a specific person to thank. Each time this happened, the whole group cheered and clapped.

 “We’ve been operating for seven years. Most of our employees are our former clients,” Reynolds said. “There’s 42 of them, so those 42, that’s my evidence. That’s my success.”