Washington Goes Purple

written by ROXANN MILLER

Despite some setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Washington County’s largest initiative against substance abuse will be back for its fourth year – ready to wage war against drug addiction.

Washington Goes Purple stresses education for local youths about the dangers of opioids and prescription painkillers, while raising awareness and encouraging the community to “go purple” through the end of September.

The kickoff event will be Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. in Hagerstown’s City Park. MTV celebrity and professional skateboarder Brandon Novak will share his recovery story.

Born in Baltimore, Novak was a skateboard prodigy. At a young age, he was discovered by Tony Hawk and tapped to travel the world as a professional skateboarder. Eventually, Novak rose to fame as an MTV celebrity. Although he appeared to have it all, behind the scenes, he said his life was falling apart due to heroin addiction. After more than 25 years of drug dependence, Novak is clean and now shares his story and helps others get sober.

The annual Recovery Walk, held in conjunction with National Recovery Month, will be Sept. 25 at 11 a.m. at University Plaza in Hagerstown. At the event, former BMX Elite Pro Tony Hoffman will share his story of recovery from an opioid addiction.

After getting paroled from prison on Dec. 13, 2008, Hoffman started living out his dream, with his addiction behind him. This year, he plans to finish his autobiography, “From Prison to The Olympics – The Tony Hoffman Story.” Hoffman’s goal is to open the Tony Hoffman Wellness Center, where he hopes to redirect the lives of those struggling with addiction onto a path of sobriety and purpose.

Isolation impact

Studies show that 75% to 82% of heroin users started with pain medication, said Victoria Sterling, director of behavioral health services for the Washington County Health Department and cochair of Washington Goes Purple. “Like most counties across the United States, we have been hit hard by COVID. Our numbers (of overdoses and overdose deaths) were going down in 2019, which we were really excited about. Then, COVID hit and our numbers went back up, mainly because of isolation.”

Emily Keller (left) and Vicki Sterling (right) with pro skateboarder, Brandon Novak.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of June 2020, 13% of Americans reported starting or increasing substance use as a way of coping with stress or emotions related to COVID-19. Overdoses also have spiked since the onset of the pandemic.

In 2020, there were 555 overdoses in Washington County, 77 of which were fatal. Currently, the highest age group for overdoses is 26 to 35, followed by 36 to 45, Sterling said.

“Narcan has really helped to save lives, but education, starting at a young age, is the key to success. We probably put out from 50 to 100 doses (of Narcan) a week,” she said.

Washington County Recovers

In March and April, a new initiative was added to the county’s arsenal on the war against drugs: Washington County Recovers.

Sterling said the initiative was prompted by the spike of overdoses and overdose deaths during COVID, and Washington County set aside days in August and October 2020 to provide access to treatment, regardless of ability to pay.

Washington County Recovers is now offered on the last Friday of every month.

“We did really well in March and April. Our numbers are starting to go down,” Sterling said.

Hagerstown Mayor Emily Keller co-chairs Washington Goes Purple with Sterling.

“We are very thankful that COVID is starting to be a little bit under control. We are looking at restarting our walking drug take backs, something that we had done that had been wildly successful prior to COVID,” Keller said.

Volunteers from Washington Goes Purple, the Hagerstown Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Department and Hagerstown Fire Department go door to door collecting unwanted and unused medication from the community and then properly dispose of it.

The first time the program was offered, organizers collected about 210 pounds of unused and unwanted medication, Keller said.

“Drug abuse affects everyone. Even if you are lucky enough to not be struggling, or lucky enough to not have someone in your family struggling, you see the effects of it, you see the effects in our quality-of-life issues that we have in Hagerstown,” Keller said.

Overdoses are happening on the streets of Hagerstown, Keller said, adding that drug abuse affects neighborhoods and businesses and can lead to homelessness.

Local employers are also feeling the effects of drug abuse in the community. Not only is it difficult to hire employees who are able to pass a drug screen, but also the effects of substance abuse show up in the form of absenteeism and lost production. “It’s something that, even if it’s not directly affecting you, it is certainly affecting other areas,” Keller said.

She said preventing addiction is not a sprint, but a marathon.

“It’s something that is going to take a very long time to see the effects of because we are trying to reach, as much as possible, the youth and give them the tools to make healthy decisions,” Keller said. “But it’s also about educating our community about the importance of carrying Narcan, the importance of locking up and properly disposing (of) medication and recognizing the signs of substance abuse and mental-health issues.”

Eliminating the stigma

This year, Washington Goes Purple is launching a campaign focusing on eliminating the stigma surrounding substance use.

“It is very frustrating because, if we’ve learned anything in the last five to seven years – when this epidemic has gotten so large – is there’s no one who looks like a drug addict,” Keller said. “Someone struggling with substance use looks like me, looks like you and looks like your neighbor. It can be any of us.”

Sterling said it’s important to show compassion.

“I think everybody deserves a chance. These are somebody’s children, mother, sister, friend, co-workers, and they deserve to be treated with dignity and get the support they need,” Sterling said.

Paying it forward

Hagerstown resident Robert “Rob” Zellner, 34, got that chance and has been paying it forward ever since.

At 14, he said he became involved with drugs – starting with marijuana, then experimenting with what he said were “all forms” of illegal drugs before trying heroin.

“I got hooked, and I got hooked bad,” Zellner said. “I don’t know how many lives I hurt. It was the guilt; the shame of all of that,” he said, adding that’s why he wanted to do something to lift up the community that he once helped tear down.

He went into recovery in 2016 and is now helping others as the director of client services/methadone coordinator at Awakenings Recovery Center in Hagerstown.

In 2017, he was instrumental in starting the first Recovery Walk, in conjunction with Washington Goes Purple. Every year, more than 150 people participate in the walk through Hagerstown to celebrate recovery.

“My life is phenomenal now. I live a life way beyond anything I ever thought possible,” Zellner said. “I thought I at least had to have a master’s (degree) and be 40 before I have what I have now. 2020 was a bad year for a lot of people, but it was a banner year for me. I got married, we bought a house, we got a dog and I got a raise at work. Life is good.”

The kickoff event will be Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. in Hagerstown’s City Park. MTV celebrity and professional skateboarder Brandon Novak will share his recovery story.