Every person, every family, every community. That is the theme for September's National Recovery Month. It's a simple but powerful reminder that recovery from substance use or mental health challenges is possible.
"There is hope, said Hector Colon, President and CEO of Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin. "Stigma is reducing a little bit; more people are willing to at least find help and treatment."
Colon was @TheTable Tuesday night talking about the importance of National Recovery Month and the need for people not to give up.
The story hits close to home for Colon.
"I have a sister who experienced addiction and co-occurring mental illness for many years. One of my best friends died due to a drug overdose. My cousin died due to an overdose," said Colon. "So, it hits home. It's very personal."
He says his sister was able to overcome the challenges she faced but Colon knows getting help often comes down to finding access to help.
"One in three individuals experienced addiction or a mental health condition," Colon said. "And 93% of those individuals did not receive care. There's lots of reasons, it could be stigma, it could be Medicaid reimbursement that doesn't allow an individual to find a therapist, or they're just confused and don't know where to go."
Colon has been with Lutheran Social Services for six years, prior to that he was Executive Director of Health and Human Services at Milwaukee County.
"Lutheran Social Services have been providing services to individuals who have incredible odds stacked up against them. We've been doing it for 140 years, serving about 30,000 individuals on an annual basis."
Watch the full conversation in the video at the top of this article.
Charles Benson and Shannon Sims interview key people in our community during TMJ4's @TheTable segment weeknights at 10 p.m.
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