Poplar Bluff Center Unveils Narcan Vending Machine
With drug overdose now the leading cause of death among adults aged 18 to 44, knowing how to use and have easy access to lifesaving Narcan is as important as being trained on CPR and having AEDs in businesses, schools, and high-traffic locations. That is why residents, business leaders, the town mayor, and local media gathered on Sept. 14 at the Behavioral Health Group (BHG) Poplar Bluff Treatment Center to see the unveiling of its free, easy-to-use Narcan vending machine and training during a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Chamber of Commerce.
This is the second Narcan vending machine in Poplar Bluff. Through a state grant, Missouri Highlands Healthcare, a non-profit organization, and federally qualified health center (FQHC) that provides primary and preventive health care services, is funding both machines and selected to partner with two locations for easier access by area residents. The second location is at the Butler County Health Department.
Congratulations to Christopher Thomason, Program Director, and his team for the successful event. We’re proud and grateful for all that you are doing in Poplar Bluff to save lives and help people get on a path to real recovery.
Madison Treatment Center Celebrates Ribbon Cutting
Congratulations to Loren Lyons and her BHG Madison, TN, team for having a successful turnout at their ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 22 with the local Chamber of Commerce.
National Recovery Month 2022 Round-Up
More than any year before, BHG team members celebrated National Recovery Month in September. From our sponsorship of the Mobilize Recovery bus tour to your local events, thank you for representing BHG and our commitment to restoring lives, strengthening families, and rejuvenating communities.
BHG Sponsored Kick-off of Mobilize Recovery 2022 Bus Tour in Vegas
From Sept. 2 through the Block Party on Sept. 5, our home office marketing team and Las Vegas colleagues connected us with the amazing recovery community in Las Vegas as part of the kick-off to the Mobilize Recovery 2022 Bus Tour. We also earned visibility across the month-long, 26-city tour, and on the Mobilize Recovery website and social media.
BHG Sponsored PAR Recovery Rally in Louisville, KY
On Sept. 17 at the University Louisville Quad, about 300 people gathered at the 33rd Annual (People Advocating Recovery) PAR Recovery Rally to raise awareness of the local, thriving recovery community. The day was filled with resource tables, great speakers, a DJ, live music, snacks, and family activities like face painting, balloon art, and a bubble station. The crowd was moved by a “Recovery Countdown” and a beautiful butterfly release to represent honor the 2,250 Kentuckians who lost their lives to drug overdose in 2020 and 2021.
BHG Co-Hosts Recovery from Addiction Summit in Virginia
On Sept. 29, BHG co-hosted the online Addiction from Recovery Summit with (Supporting Transformational Opportunities for People) STOP Inc., and in partnership with the Franklin-Southampton Wellness Coalition, where leaders gathered to tackle the misconceptions surrounding recovery. Samson Teklemariam, LPC, CPTM, and VP/Director of Clinical Services for BHG, presented on integrating peers into medication-assisted recoverySM (MAR); Stephanie Peglow, DO, MPH, FASAM, FAPA, Regional Medical Director for Tidewater Virginia, and Medical Director on contract for BHG Chesapeake Treatment Center, provided an update on the fentanyl crisis.
CBH North Charleston Connects with Recovery Community at FAVOR Low Country Walk
This year’s Faces and Voices of Recovery (FAVOR) Low Country Recovery Month event had the largest turnout to date. The CBH North Charleston team joined about 250 people made up of residents, businesses, and recovery centers from Charleston and surrounding areas. Many people visited our table to learn about BHG and MAR. Attendees shared recovery stories, including a young woman in MAR with methadone, and were in fellowship amidst food carts, bounce houses, live music by a musician who is in recovery, and a walk across the beautiful Charleston Ravenel Bridge to show the strength and presence of recovery in the Charleston.
Left to right: Kristy Knox, Counselor / Melissa Bauer, Counselor /Yolanda Sibley, Nurse / Amanda Jordan, Clinical Supervisor /Kate Perry, Program Director / Chrissie Martin, Regional Clinical Director
BHG Staunton, VA, Turned Treatment Center into Recovery Celebration Experience
Submitted by Jennifer Brugh, Program Director
The BHG Staunton team celebrated Recovery Month by giving patients individual gift bags with handmade key chains, a recovery ribbon, a recovery bumper sticker, and a silicone bracelet. Patients’ recovery stories were also posted all throughout the center.
Tennessee Teams, Communities Honored Loved Ones Lost to Overdose
Submitted by Wendy Boles, Regional Sales Manager
At the International Overdose Awareness Day event in Knoxville, shoes on display represented lives lost due to overdose. People posted pictures on a public wall of loved ones who died from overdose.
We had a great time meeting new people, seeing previous patients that were in recovery and no longer needing MAT services.
BHG Medical Services in Knoxville hosted the release of 100 balloons with loved one’s names from patients who died from drug overdose. Family and friends who attended talked about the lives lost, had a moment of silence, and shed many tears.
Program Director Amy Turner said, “It was amazing to watch them let go of the balloons and see patients and staff take a deep breath like they were letting go of the pain.”
BHG Murfreesboro attended Rutherford County Recovery Fest
Submitted by Heather Box, LN, Program Director
The Murfreesboro, TN, team attended the Rutherford County Recovert Fest which focuses on educating the public on mental health and substance use disorders.
