Community Voices There are a decent amount of voices, big and small, that fight for the end of addictions and loss of life due to opioids. One huge repository of information, and a collection of agencies, grassroots organizations, and methadone clinics can all be found under the website Maryland ROTA, or Rural Opioid Technical Assistance. It observes and lists known organizations and such under a user-friendly UI, along with searching certain parts or all of Maryland, especially focusing on parts of the shore where my immediate community is located. ( Click the picture above to get sent to the search of organizations/clinics, etc. ) More specifically, testimonies from more grassroots groups such as the WoCos (Worcester County Warriors Against Opiate Addiction) were formed to help immediate members of the communities who couldn't afford the expensive treatments/rehabs, or who just didn't have the knowledge to not only fight addiction but to help out and spot those who are beginning the signs of addiction or are worsening. Such one of these testimonies is from the co-founder of the WoCos Heidi McNeeley, who said the following: “We wanted to help get the conversation started in Worcester County and dispel the stigma surrounding addiction,” McNeeley said. “As mothers of children with addiction, we wanted to make it apparent that addiction transcends everything. It has nothing to do with parenting or the environment in which they were raised. We wanted to normalize the conversation, so people could talk about it.” Opioids aren't the only heath injustice that cases some form of scrutiny, resistance from the community, or had it's fair share of uphill battles. For instance, there was, and in certain instances, still is some social inequities in the quality of life that deaf people get, the community inequities in the health care of different racial and indigenous people, and those have high rates of crime and violence in their communities, such as inner-city neighborhoods. |
Author
Senior at Salisbury University, working towards a Bachelor's on Community and Professional Communication. |