When Jason Powell steps into a classroom or on a stage he is not afraid to tell his personal story. The co-workers and volunteers who accompany him also share the meanings behind their own challenges and victories. I first heard their presentation in the fall at the high school and it settled inside my soul like no other presentation I have ever seen or heard.
Powell and these individuals are part of Caldwell County RESTART. The organization is funded through opioid settlement dollars which are specifically allocated for addiction treatment and recovery services in the county. This county service is one dedicated to serving and advocating for families and individuals who are affected by substance abuse disorders and misuse. RESTART is a multidisciplinary team consisting of community paramedics, peer support specialists, a case manager social worker, and a K-9 assistance dog. Their goal is to develop strategies to help people process addiction, treatment and recovery. These individuals work to offer housing, free medical testing, and provide access to peer support and other specialists to help individuals cope and recover from addiction. They also work with families dealing with the effects of abuse. These services are provided at no cost to the individual.
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Rates of opioid deaths in Caldwell County have risen in the recent past. The county registers about 25.6 deaths per 100,000 people. County data is about three points above the state average. Like a lot of other places, this area is slowly recovering from the opioid crisis both before and after the pandemic. The rate of deaths due to other medication and drug use casualties per 100,000 puts Caldwell County about five points above the state average as well. The organization is working to decrease each of those numbers by creating more awareness of how serious these issues are. More importantly, they want people to know how these challenges affect individuals, families, and the community at large.
RESTART is an important bridge between the individual and their own crisis. They provide a lot of different kinds of unique supports to combat addiction. They also respond to calls where an opioid crisis or death has occurred in order to provide comfort and context to individuals and entire families going through challenging times.
By presenting to schools and other organizations, Powell and those either employed by the organization or serving as a volunteer share their stories repeatedly to create awareness. One individual talks about being a college golfer who began an addiction which later cost him his marriage. Two gentlemen share about how their experiences with drugs and alcohol in their teenage years helped them move to try other kinds of drugs and make bad choices. Yet, they also talk about how people stood in the gap for them and gave them hope which helped them turn their lives around. One presenter simply states, “This is what I want to do now (talking to you students about not making the same choices and continuing down similar paths of behavior due to addiction.)
Like other emergency personnel, RESTART workers respond to calls in an effort to serve and help. Right before they spoke to students in the fall, many in the group had just returned from assisting a family dealing with an immediate crisis.
Powell tells the students about how hard it is to work with a family who has just lost a loved one to addiction, but he also talks about how gratifying it is to help and assist families through it. He and others talk about how vital their organization is to the community as a whole. They are truly ‘boots on the ground’ in the area; providing an absolutely essential service. Other counties in our area have groups similar to RESTART and that is a very good thing.
Just this spring, I invited Powell and his group back to the high school to present again. Their program was just as honest, real, and instructive to another group of students. Again, the speakers told real stories. They did not sugarcoat their work or the issues they face. Each speaker was honest about their own lives and predicaments. Moreover, they talked about the things and decisions and actions they took to make it through their own crisis.
As a former high school coach, I can appreciate great teams when I see them. Caldwell County RESTART is an exceptional team filled with much knowledge and an even greater amount of compassion. Powell tells the students one of the main goals of the group is to meet individuals where they are and help them in their fight.
In sharing their stories and standing in the gap for others, the individuals at RESTART remind us all of a truth. Even if we cannot say all the things we want to say, our hearts can come together and we can listen and feel for each other. Just letting people share their experiences is healing, and organizations like RESTART can help us all be better people.
Brent Tomberlin
Brent Tomberlin is a social studies teacher at South Caldwell High School and at various other institutions. He can be reached at coachtomberlin@gmail.com.
