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Greg interviews Joel Mowrey, the Executive Director of The Mental Health and Recovery Board of Portage County. Kelly Heart, a recovering addict, also joins the duo. Located in Portage County, Ohio, The Mental Health and Recovery Board is primarily a funding, monitoring and planning agency. By contracting with outside agencies, the board provides a wide array of services that deal with mental health and substance abuse issues.

Greg interviews Nick Bianco, the champion of Wadsworth Recovery Connection (WRC) in Summit County, Ohio. As a recovering addict, Nick is deeply committed to helping others suffering from substance abuse regain their lives. He is responsible for bringing WRC to Summit County. WRC is a phone-based service within the Wadsworth, Ohio area, connecting those that need help with the appropriate resources and support they need. Nick shares the story of his past struggles with substance use disorder and his passion for helping others.

Greg interviews Ken Hawkins, the Founder of Really Recovered and a recovering alcoholic and addict. Really Recovered is a recovery church rooted in Christian faith and the firm belief that total transformation is gained through a relationship with Christ. Ken himself has struggled with substance abuse since the age of 11. He shares how he miraculously turned his life around through his spiritual journey with Christ.

Greg interviews Rob Brandt, the Founder of Robby’s Voice. Rob lost his son Robby to opioids in 2011. In the wake of Robby’s death, a notebook of his was found containing plans to help those suffering from substance abuse. Robby’s Voice was created to bring life to that vision. Rob discusses his son’s unbridled passion for life and how he and his wife handled their son’s unexpected passing.

Greg interviews Jessica Nickel, the Executive Director of the Addiction Policy Forum. The mission of the Addiction Policy Forum is to ensure that addiction is treated as a disease, elevate addiction awareness and improve national policy through a comprehensive response. Jessica herself comes from a background of substance abuse, with many family members growing up struggled with the disease. Listen to her previous podcast interview with Greg here.

Greg interviews Jessica Nickel, the Executive Director of the Addiction Policy Forum. The mission of the forum is to ensure that addiction is treated as a disease, elevate addiction awareness and improve national policy through a comprehensive response. Jessica has been an advocate for those suffering from substance abuse for 26 years.

Greg interviews Pastor Jerry O’Brien, the Senior Pastor of Faith Harvest Fellowship of Wooster, Ohio and a Founder of the Hebron Recovery Group (HRG), a faith-based living facility of Millersburg, Ohio. Pastor O’Brien has ministered on Christian broadcast programs like the 700 Club, Tri-State Christian Television (TCT) and Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) alongside the likes of Rod Parsley, Richard Roberts, Benny Hinn, Steve Munsey and James Payne. He’s also the former host of a radio show in Canton, Ohio and a frequent guest on Ask the Pastor.

Greg interviews Mike McRill, a Community Resource Officer from the Sidney Police Department located in Sidney, Ohio and a former middle school teacher. Desiring to do more for his community and live his passion for law enforcement, he joined the Sidney Police Department in 2000. After becoming the Community Resource Officer in 2014, Officer McRill revived the program by reaching out to citizens and businesses to gauge what was needed within the Sidney community.

Greg interviews Rob Portman, a United States Senator from Cincinnati, Ohio. In September 1996, Senator Portman founded the Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati—now known as PreventionFIRST! The coalition’s purpose is to keep young people free of substance abuse. He was first elected to Senate in 2010, after winning 82 of Ohio’s 88 counties. More than 20 years later, Senator Portman’s fight against substance abuse continues to gain momentum today.

Greg interviews Andy Duran, the Executive Director of LEAD (Linking Efforts Against Drugs). Founded in May 2012, LEAD is a drug prevention coalition based in Lake Forest/Lake Bluff, Illinois. Equipped with years of experience working with youth, Andy has created a new approach to drug prevention with LEAD. The nationally recognized organization offers training, workshops and technical assistance for organizations all over the country.

Greg interviews Kevin Lorson, the Professor and Program Director of the Health and Physical Education Program at Wright State University. He’s also the President of OAHPERD (The Ohio Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance), which consists of over 3,000 Ohio education professionals. With Kevin’s guidance, OAHPERD is presently working on a substance abuse prevention program for kindergarten to 12th grade students.

Greg interviews two experts on Supervised Injection Facilities (SIF). SIFs are controlled healthcare settings, where people can safely inject drugs under clinical supervision. Currently, there are 98 SIF operations in 10 countries around the world. The two experts are: Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal and Addiction Medicine Specialist Dr. Aaron Fox. Both discuss the dire need for more SIFs across the nation, specifically in New York City.

Ep. 74 – After Dreamland Pt. 4: Recognizing an Unmet Need and Stepping Up, JoAnna Krohn by Cover 2 Resources

Greg interviews Jeanne Whalen, the Deputy Bureau Chief of Health & Sciences at The Wall Street Journal. As a Deputy Bureau Chief of Health & Sciences, Jeanne writes stories that cover the health, science and pharmaceutical industries. She has written numerous articles on the opioid epidemic, including stories that cover topics like: the fight of schools against the epidemic, the surge of children effected by opioids, the opioid-related problems of rural America, the possible reduction of insurance coverage via healthcare reform and the Chinese connection to America’s growing epidemic.

Greg interviews Todd Popovich, a resident of Rutland, Vermont with first-hand experience of the opioid epidemic sweeping the area. Todd, now in recovery, has struggled with substance abuse disorder in the past. He plans to graduate from his recovery program in two weeks, on February 23. He shares more about his past struggle and the current tragic epidemic in Rutland.

Greg interviews Jason Merrick, the Director of Addiction Services at Kenton County Detention Center in Covington, Kentucky. He also worked with Sam Quinones on his highly-acclaimed book Dreamland. This episode is Part Two in a series of podcasts that will explore life after Dreamland for those who helped Sam with his book.

Greg interviews Dr. Joe Gay, a Clinical Psychologist, Licensed Chemical Dependency Professional and the Executive Director of Health Recovery Services in Athens, Ohio. He also worked with Sam Quinones on his highly-acclaimed book Dreamland. This episode is Part Two in a series of podcasts that will explore life after Dreamland for those who helped Sam with his book.

Greg interviews Lisa Roberts, a Health Department Nurse for the city of Portsmouth, Ohio. She’s been working as a Portsmouth nurse for the past 29 years. She also worked with Sam Quinones on his highly-acclaimed book Dreamland. This episode is Part Three in a series of podcasts that will explore life after Dreamland for those who helped Sam with his book.

Greg interviews Paul Web and Marcie Mason about Hidden In Plain Sight. Paul is a Copley Police Department Detective, while Marcie is a Youth Services Worker for both the Copley and Bath Police Departments. Hidden In Plain Sight is an awareness program geared towards parents and other concerned adults. The program strengthens recognition skills by displaying items in a typical teen room that are indicators of drug or alcohol use. Listen to the podcast to discover the components of Hidden In Plain Sight. Find out where you can see an upcoming presentation here.

Greg interviews Jennifer Levitz, reporter with the Wall Street Journal, to discuss what she has learned investigating the opioid epidemic. Jennifer’s recent article, Vermont’s Radical Experiment to Break the Addiction Cycle, tells the story of Todd Popovitch, a former drug user who has been given a second chance under Vermont’s revolutionary new policies regarding drug possession. Jennifer discusses the research which she undertook to write the article. Vermont has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic. “Vermont is situated in a pipeline for drugs between New York City and Connecticut,” she says. “They were going right up from New York to Rutland, Vermont. That became known as the heart of it… in a lot of places, first, it was the opioid pills. Then there were crackdowns on getting those pills. Then the heroine started to flood in from the big cities. People could make a profit on it in Vermont. It was simple economics.”