By Madison Hart
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Kosciusko Coalition of Drug Education discussed the new Comprehensive Community Plan and community resource updates at a meeting Tuesday, Aug. 27.

K-CODE is overseen by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and works to coordinate drug education resources in Kosciusko County. This 33-year-old organization that arose from a state mandate for each county have a Local Coordinating Council to address the drug epidemic.

“We’re not the boots on the ground, but we’re bringing everyone together to talk about issues and look for solutions,” said K-CODE Coordinator Heidi Blake.

K-CODE works to bring together three main sectors: intervention/treatment, prevention/education and justice. Connecting rehabilitation centers, prevention groups and law enforcement provides a unique opportunity to share resources, gather data and problem solve.

For instance, Blake shared that the county coroner’s office has identified new substances found in autopsies. With this data, collaborating organizations can investigate where these drugs are coming from and how they can address it.

Data like this can be found in the Comprehensive Community Plan, a document the state requires each county to update yearly. The statistics provided in the CCP allow local organizations to reference specific data for areas of need when writing grants.

This year’s CCP reflected a decrease in vaping, which Blake attributes to the presence of school resource officers, education programs and other resources that the community has worked to provide.

“Collaboration is key for all of us to come together and hear what’s working and what’s not working. There is strength in partnerships.”

Community resource updates included the following:

• The Kosciusko County Drug Court Program had their 100th graduate on Monday, Aug. 26.
• The 525 Foundation has a prescription drug drop box they would like to donate to Kosciusko County.
• Mom of an Addict is having the fifth annual Recovery Rocks event at the Headwaters Park East, 333 S. Clinton St., Fort Wayne, from 2-6 p.m. Sept. 15.
• Tobacco Free Coalition is promoting a Parent Toolkit to help parents talk with kids about avoiding nicotine.
• The Serenity House had four recent graduates. Serenity House is looking for a new house manager.
• Rose Garden hired a new second-shift peer coach. Rose Garden has added a tenth month to their program that involves living in the graduate house and having more independence to ensure a successful transition.
• Bowen Center has a crisis stabilization room that can provide food and rest for 24 hours. It’s also added a new role: behavioral health consultant.
• LITE has three new staff certifications.

These are just some of the many updates provided by organizations in the county. To learn more about drug prevention and rehabilitation efforts in the county, attend K-CODE meetings on the fourth Tuesday of each month, with the exceptions of July and December, open to the public, hosted at Papa Vino’s.

Blake also invites anyone with data about drug use in Kosciusko County to provide it to K-CODE.