Interview with Nate Kehlmeier

Nate and I met through our volunteer work at the Wood County Opiate Task Force in Bowling Green, OH.  At the time, he worked at MidWest Recovery Center (Toledo, OH).  Now, he is the CEO of the Recovery Institute of Ohio (Sandusky, OH).     Nate Kehlmeier (419) 262-2436 [email protected] LinkedIn  linkedin.com/in/nate-kehlmeier-3b52a6175    Recovery Institute of Ohio 1019 Pierce St.  Sandusky, OH 44870 https://recoveryinstituteofohio.com [email protected] 888-468-1441 Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/RecoveryInstituteofOhio/ IG  https://www.instagram.com/recoveryinstituteofohio/ LinkedIn Company Profile https://www.linkedin.com/company/recovery-institute-of-ohio/about/ Vivitrol is available at Recovery Institute of Ohio.   We Recover Together Support Group BELLEVUE RECOVERY AND SUPPORT SERVICES 1400 W. Main St. Bldg 1, Suite D Bellevue, OH 44811 Phone: 419-307-3320 Text: 4HOPE to 741741 Website: www.bellevuerecovery.org    MidWest Recovery Center 7540 New West Rd,  Toledo, OH 43617 (833) 297-1257 https://www.midwestrecoverycenter.com    Wood County, Ohio Support Groups Wood County Crisis Line: 419-502-HOPE (4673) Recovery Helpline: Call 211 Reentry Coalition: (567) 246-0761 Resources for Family and Supports Celebrate Recovery/Cedar Creek Church: (419)-661-8661 NAMI: (419) 352-0626 Mental Health First Aid Training: • Adults: (419) 352-0626 • Youth: (419) 354-9010 Wood County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board: (419) 352-8475 For more information, visit https://www.wcadamh.org, and search for the "Opiate Resource Guide." Have uncomfortable conversations about drugs and alcohol with your children. Ask questions.  What do you know about drugs and alcohol?  Are you using them? Teach them about communication and consequences.  Do they know how to ask for help? Do your children know safe people to talk to?  School teacher, professional counselor, pastor, parents. Coping skills are important.  Do your children know how to cope with difficult situations? What is stigma?  Stigma is a mark of disgrace.  Drug addicts are thought of in a negative way.  There is a profound stigma associated with drug addicts. Everyone, especially pharmacists, should be informed about addiction.  Get educated.  Be a resource to your community.   Addiction is a disease that does not discriminate.  It affects a wide range of socioeconomic classes, races, and age groups.  If you need help, reach out to Nate Kehlmeier or someone in the Substance Use Disorder Treatment field.  Visit https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service) or TTY: 1-800-487-4889.  This is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. Callers can also order free publications and other information. I heard Nate tell his story at an opioid crisis awareness event in Wood County at Way Library 101 E. Indiana Ave. Perrysburg, OH 43551 Phone: 419.874.3135 Fax: 419.874.6129 https://www.waylibrary.info I helped create several Faith Community Discussions about Opioid Addiction in Wood County, OH in 2018 and 2019.  The purpose of the discussions was to educate and empower clergy and faith community leaders to help with the opioid crisis in Wood County Communities.  We supplied narcan to the attendees, and one narcan save has been reported from one of our attendees.