Turning Point Recovery Center opens with a twist
Facility named in honor of Paul Wyman, who spearheaded its creation
Today’s article is brought to you by Freedom Financial.
More than 140 people in the U.S. die each day from substance abuse overdose. Of those, 85 percent of them die due to the drug fentanyl. Kokomo, Howard County, and the surrounding region are not exempt from these statistics. In fact, it is because of those deadly numbers that Turning Point – A System of Care exists.
Turning Point began in Howard County as a single employee in a tiny office at the Howard County Family Service Association in 2018. But the need was much greater. So, the community chose to grow the service to meet the need. On Sept. 28, a ribbon cutting was held to open Turning Point’s 12-bed Recovery Stabilization Center
“This is a great day,” said Dr. Matt Oliver, CEO of Turning Point. “Turning Point is here today with partners upon partners to bring our community together to look at what can be done differently than what has been done before. When you walk through our recovery stabilization center, I hope you know that you are a part of making a difference.
“The reason people keep using drugs is they can’t get through withdrawal. They don’t have a way to do that without going through detox. This will be a gamechanger.”
How it began
Paul Wyman, the Howard County Commissioner and advocate who started the ball rolling with Turning Point, explained how the recovery center came to be. It all started with an “Opioid Summit” in 2018, where Wyman brought community and government leaders together to discuss how Howard County would tackle the overdose issue in a definitive way.
We had an opportunity to make a difference that day,” said Wyman. “We wanted to deliver a message that there is incredible hope in this crisis. We made a decision. We could have looked the other way as a community. But we said that day we are going to embrace people, love people, and meet them where they are at. We are going to figure this out, even though we didn’t know what that meant.
“A record number of overdose deaths was unacceptable to us. So, we did a tremendous amount of work over the next 90 days and put a plan together. The question kept coming up: ‘Where do I begin this process? Where does an individual truly get help?’ We needed that place where people could go with no obstacles, no judgment. That’s how the idea of Turning Point was birthed.”
The Turning Point Recovery Stabilization Center will offer 24/7 services to those suffering from addiction or mental health issues. They can arrive of their own accord, or local law enforcement can bring them to the facility in a time of crisis, rather than take them to jail or the emergency room.
Nursing services, counseling, case management, and even a place to stay are offered at Turning Point. And, as Doug Huntsinger, Executive Director for Drug Prevention, Treatment and Enforcement and Chairman of the Indiana Commission to Combat Substance Use Disorder, explained, it is a place where people and need are connected to services to make a difference.
“This is not something that happens in every community,” said Huntsinger. “What is happening in Kokomo is unique. We saw the community’s investment all across the region. That is what will bring us out of this and turn things around.
“I can’t say enough about what is happening here in Howard County. I know some of you see this is a finish line, but it’s really just a mile marker on the journey. How do we move individuals in the system to appropriate services? Turning Point with be the crux of that.
“As we move to having a sustainable crisis system in our state for mental health and substance use disorder, I know that Turning Point is going to be the leader in this area. Over the next 10 years we will look at how can we help Howard County grow and help the rest of the state.”
Bringing in the stakeholders
It was an initial investment from the Eli Lilly Foundation that really got the ball rolling. Howard County had the ideas and concept, but it didn’t have the funding. That is where Greg Aaron, director of the Community Foundation of Howard, Clinton, and Carroll Counties fit into the picture. His organization became the conduit to bring the necessary funding -- $4.9 million from the Lilly Foundation – to the table.
“Greg sat down with us and said he wanted to hear our biggest dreams, said Wyman. “Sometimes, people just say that kind of stuff because it’s fun to talk about. But you could tell when Greg said it, he was sincere. There was a true opportunity before us. Greg and his team at the foundation put their hearts and souls into the mission.”
Aaron explained that the foundation received an initial grant to hold 48 listening sessions across the three counties it serves. The needs identified in every case pointed to the addiction crisis. Taking that information to Lilly, the foundation landed an additional $350,000 to put together a plan to capture the big endowment Lilly had to offer, which included hiring “navigators” who connected the needed services to the Turning Point vision.
“We brought together the stakeholders,” said Aaron. “We asked, ‘If we are able to get $5 million, what would we do with it?’ The main idea came from law enforcement. They said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to have a drop-in center where we could take people having issues rather than to jail or the ER.”
The stakeholders spent the next six months putting together the plan to make Turning Point a reality. And Lilly saw the value in it, awarding $4.9 million to the project. This allowed Howard County government to approach the Kokomo School Corp. and purchase the former Columbian Elementary School building, then spend $1.6 million renovating it.
“It was no small task taking as building that was in the condition that it was in when we got it and turning into a place of love, a place of hope, and a place that is going to save lives,” said Wyman. “This building was in pretty major disrepair, but we found a way to help the school corporation out, and they found a way to help us out to further this cause. I’m really happy to announce today that we have finalized the process to transfer the facility from county government to Turning Point at no charge.”
A last-minute twist
As Wyman concluded the celebration, he gave credit to those he believes are the true heroes of the moment: those seeking recovery. Little did he know what would come just a few minutes later.
“The recoverees are the ones who could have given up, but chose not to,” said Wyman. “They chose to allow us to be a part of their recovery. It has been an honor to participate in that journey. It’s one of the greatest things I love about this community is we don’t give up on people.
“This place, this building of hope, will ensure that every life in our community is loved and respected and honored. To those of you in recovery, thank you for inspiring us. Thank you for showing us that no matter how tough things get, there is always a moment of hope. The example you have provided will save other lives in our community.”
But it was Wyman who received the final accolade. As the crowd gathered to experience the ceremonial ribbon cutting to launch Turning Point, Dr. Oliver pulled aside a drape hung on the wall behind him. It revealed the official name of the building: The Paul G. Wyman Center for Hope and Recovery.
Wyman was overwhelmed by the honor, holding back tears as he hugged Dr. Oliver.
“This means so much to me, but you know so many people have been a part of this journey,” said Wyman. “Every one of you in this moment has had a hand in this. Can we get everybody’s name printed on the wall?”