Last July, we helped launch a Local Outreach Suicide Survivors/Drug Overdose Survivor Support (LOSS/DOSS) team with a mission pilot project in Fairfield Township. The LOSS/DOSS Team’s mission is to make an immediate connection with survivors of suicide or overdose deaths and provide them with resources, including monthly grief support groups and peer-to-peer support.
Last year 88 of our friends and neighbors died from an accidental drug overdose and 57 died by suicide. Sadly, this year, we are on pace to lose more people in these tragic ways. Twenty-two Butler County residents have died from suicide – eight of whom were veterans – and 42 died from accidental drug overdoses.
There is a story behind every statistic. Although the Board has made great progress shedding the stigma around mental health challenges and addiction, the loved ones left behind after a suicide or overdose death are often more reluctant to share their grief with others. Research shows that it takes the typical survivor four-and-a-half years to seek out health resources and support after such a traumatic loss. But if a trusted person connects them to resources immediately, that period is cut down to 45 days.
The LOSS/DOSS team is administered by Envision Partnerships in collaboration with other MHARS-supported organizations, The National Alliance on Mental Illness - Butler County, and Beckett Springs Hospital. The team is staffed by 20 volunteers – many of whom lost loved ones to suicide or overdose. The program requires a team of two – including at least one person with direct experience – to be on call 24 hours a day. They work with the Fairfield Township Police Department and the coroner’s office to immediately connect with survivors of suicides and overdoses. If the team is unable to come to a scene, volunteers follow up with care packages, personal notes, texts, or other resources.
LOSS/DOSS is based on a national model that began in the 1990s. It’s one of the many research-backed MHARS Board initiatives. Our public health approach is saving lives. Compared to a peak of 232 in 2017, last year’s overdose death numbers have been slashed by 62%. We will continue to fund a mobile crisis team through Butler Behavioral Health that dispatches a trained mental health professional to assist people experiencing a mental health crisis. We are looking into adding an additional fatality review worker, a suicide specialist to the local crisis team and expanding the reach of the mobile crisis team to hospital emergency departments.
Earlier this year, the LOSS/DOSS program expanded into the City of Oxford and Oxford Township. Their goal is to eventually cover the entire county. The program cannot grow without volunteers and is seeking more recruits. (Contact Team Coordinator Jennifer MacLean jmaclean@envisionpartnerships.com or 513-868-2100 ext. 227).
None of this would be possible without the Butler County taxpayer. As we conclude National Mental Health Month, I want to thank you for allowing us to continue this important work.
Scott Rasmus Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the Butler County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services (MHARS) Board. He has been in the mental health field for over 30 years.
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