March 6 is known as Black Balloon Day, or more specifically, Overdose Memorial Day. It began as a movement in 2016 when Diane and Lauren Hurley wanted to honor Greg Trembly, son-in-law and brother-in-law respectively to the women, who had struggled with opioid addiction and died from an overdose on March 6, 2015.
Coincidentally, it was also in 2015 when Not One More Northwest Pennsylvania was beginning to take root. A group of mothers formed a support group for those affected by the opioid epidemic in Crawford County. The group, Hope for Healing Hearts, became a chapter of the Not One More organization just a year later in 2016. The goal of this parent nonprofit is to provide compassionate support to people struggling with substance use disorder (SUD), to educate the community about drugs and the disease of addiction, and what many feel is still an important and very necessary step in overcoming addiction: eradicating the stigma about this disease.
John Hartnett, Recovery Service Navigator with MMC’s Stepping Stones program, helps patients through the drug and alcohol treatment process: from admittance and detox, through inpatient care to outpatient treatment, before hopefully beginning a life of recovery. People with substance use disorders must continue to manage the root causes of their addictions for the rest of their lives — recovery never stops.
There are many more resources available today than in 2016 to begin the process of drug treatment and recovery, but the stigma around addiction remains. Even bringing awareness to resources like a harm reduction vending machine, located between the Liberty Arts Medical Center and Mill Run Complex, is sometimes a challenge. The purpose of something like this machine is to supply items, such as condoms, first-aid kits, and even Narcan and fentanyl tests, that will prevent the spread of disease and death from drug use until an addict can receive proper treatment to live a clean life.
“Overcoming substance use disorders is hard, but the grief of losing a loved one is harder. It’s important to move past the stigma and ask for help. There are many paths to recovery, but a courageous place to start is to ask for help, to talk about it, and especially to talk about it with others who understand what it takes to overcome a substance use disorder, and know there is life beyond drugs and the stigma. So, let’s talk…it helps!”
Please note: Meadville Medical Center has taken precautions to secure and eventually remove the balloons so as not to endanger any wildlife, litter, or pollute! The Overdose Lifeline offers “virtual balloons” should you choose to release and personalize a balloon for Black Balloon Day.
Stepping Stones Contact Information
Meadville Medical Center’s Stepping Stones program is located at our Grove Street Facility and can be reached by phone at: 814-333-5810. John Hartnett, Recovery Service Navigator, can be reached directly at: 814-333-3916.
