Mental health and substance use awareness at the senior center

Area residents were invited to an “awareness event” covering the topic of substance use the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 26 at the Waseca Area Senior Citizens Center. The free session offered a chance to speak with health care and substance abuse agencies to learn about resources and find tools to combat drug addiction and support mental health. There were numerous organizations present.

The event was planned by Marty Johnson of Waseca’s Keep Fightin’ Recovery with help from Laura Cain of the MN Prairie County Alliance. Offering information and resources were Mankato Chemical Health, SPERO clinic, and South Country Health Alliance. For example, Ashley Killday of the Waseca County Public Health office, said her office can help if someone has a family member struggling with substance use. Her office also provides information about the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), up to and including an hour-long presentation on how to break a cycle of generational trauma. Killday can also help connect people to Youth Mental Health First Aid trainings for adults to learn about the warning signs of youth experiencing substance abuse or mental health crises and how to approach the conversation. 

Community health worker Mariana Izaguirre mentioned, “Having local service providers in one space at the same time can benefit those looking for assistance, since finding providers and resources can be a challenge. It is also beneficial for the service providers to be able to connect with other service providers.  It helps us bridge gaps in services and offer more to those who need help.”

One resource that is currently being offered people might not be aware of is suicide prevention, WCPH Planner Colin Ayers leads a local Suicide Prevention Cohort, moderated a suicide prevention event called My Ascension at the Waseca ALC, builds communication on the topics of mental health and substance use, and can assist community partners with mental health and substance use data.

According to www.health.state.mn.gov, Waseca County has between 15 and 25 drug overdoses a year, a majority of those are male. In 2021, there were 11,506 non-fatal hospital visits for drug overdoses in Minnesota. The rate of non-fatal overdoses for Waseca County was around 2 per 1,000 residents.  

The county public health office is located at 1000 Elm Avenue West in Waseca.