Three Indiana University centers will receive $45,000 of a $200,000 federal Health Resources and Services Administration planning grant as part of the Indiana Rural Opioid Consortium.

The Indiana Rural Health Association is convening the consortium to collaborate on plans to address opioid abuse in rural Indiana communities. The consortium includes the Center for Rural Engagement at IU Bloomington, the Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy at the IU School of Medicine, and the Center for Public Health Practice at the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI.

Naloxone samples are handed out during the IU Grand Challenge naloxone training at IUPUI’s Hine Hall in September 2018.

The consortium supports prevention and treatment for substance use disorder, including opioid use disorder in the rural Indiana counties that are among the 220 counties across the U.S. identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as being at risk for HIV and hepatitis C infections due to injection drug use.

The Indiana Rural Health Association created the consortium composed of experts to develop a comprehensive plan to address four areas:

• Increasing awareness of best practices for opioid use disorder treatment through targeted education efforts.
• Increasing access to available treatment options, including new telehealth options.
• Building additional recovery communities in the targeted counties.
• Creating initiatives and programs to reduce the stigma associated with addiction resulting from the opioid crisis.

The consortium will also identify strengths and gaps in existing programs and additional means to expand continuity of opioid use disorder care that includes medication-assisted treatment and waivers available through the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000, as well as other recovery initiatives.

“Even with increased national attention and the addition of select prevention and treatment facilities throughout Indiana, opioid use disorders remain a chronic, persistent and very serious public health concern in the state, including rural areas,” Indiana Rural Health Association Executive Director Don Kelso said.

Indiana University will identify opportunities and gaps in prevention and treatment, a workforce plan, and a framework for community-based programs to address stigma. Additionally, IU will promote academic programs and activities, develop educational materials and curricula, and facilitate professional development initiatives to connect providers and peer recovery leaders to the training they need to positively impact opioid issues in Indiana.

The Center for Rural Engagement at IU Bloomington improves the lives of Hoosiers through collaborative initiatives that discover and deploy scalable and flexible solutions to common challenges facing rural communities. Working in full-spectrum community innovation through research, community-engaged teaching, and student service, the center builds a vision, harnesses assets and cultivates sustainable leadership structures within the communities with which it engages to ensure long-term success.

The Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy at the Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, serves to advance policies that improve human health and well-being through a commitment to service and research contributions. The Bowen Center is dedicated to advancing this mission through a partnership with the state of Indiana and collaboration with a myriad of stakeholders, including health professional training programs, provider organizations, and nonprofit agencies at local, state and national levels.

The Center for Public Health Practice at the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI helps practitioners by increasing local public health value in Indiana through public health accreditation preparedness; providing technical assistance to local health departments around community-identified public health needs; enhancing workforce capacity building through authentic, community-centered learning opportunities for public health students; and supporting the Indiana Public Health Practice Council, an inclusive, statewide group that brings together representatives from state universities, associations, public health practice and policy-making bodies.

Indiana University has made it a priority to bring IU experts and resources to bear to help combat the devastating effects of addiction. IU’s Responding to the Addictions Crisis Grand Challenge engages a broad array of IU’s world-class faculty, as well as business, nonprofit and government partners, to create a comprehensive plan to reduce deaths from addiction, ease the burden of addiction on Hoosier communities, and improve health and economic outcomes. This collaborative, statewide initiative is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive university-led response to the opioid addiction crisis.

Seymour Police arrested a Jennings County man after he allegedly stabbed a Seymour woman during a domestic fight Monday.

Police arrested 19-year-old Dalton Renoll, on felony charges of domestic battery with a weapon and criminal recklessness.

According to Seymour Police Chief Bill Abbott, Renoll drove to the home of his 18-year-old former girlfriend on South Lynn Street, and the two got into an argument.

That argument escalated, and Renoll pulled out a pocket knife and cut the woman on her upper left arm.

The woman got in her vehicle, left the residence and drove to work, where she called police at 4:49 a.m.

She then went to Schneck Medical Center in Seymour for treatment.

Renoll returned to North Vernon, but Jennings County Sheriff deputies stopped him and met Seymour officers at the Jackson/Jenning County line. He was returned to the Seymour Police Department and arrested.

He is currently being held without bond in the Jackson County Jail until his initial hearing.

Indiana’s former Democrat Senator Joe Donnelly will teach classes at his alma mater the University of Notre Dame.

Donnelly has accepted a part-time position at Notre Dame teaching political science and global affairs classes.

Donnelly earned his undergrad and law degrees from Notre Dame.

He was defeated in the 2018 mid-term elections by now Republican Senator Mike Braun.

The City of Mitchell has issued a precautionary boil order for residents on Meridian Road to North 5th Street from East Main Street to Hancock Avenue.

The order was issued after a 12-inch water main break.

The order is in effect until further notice.

Did you forget to enroll in 4-H by the January deadline? Don’t worry, there is still time!

There are many important meetings, workshops, and events coming up so we want everyone to get enrolled as soon as possible.

Regular 4H is open to anyone currently enrolled in grades 3 thru 12. Anyone who is currently in Kindergarten, 1st or 2nd grade is eligible to join Mini 4H.

To enroll, go to https://in.4honline.com. If you have been enrolled in the past, simply log in with your username or password and re-enroll.

If this is your first time, you may create a profile and enroll. Regular 4-H is $20 and Mini 4-H is $5. This can be paid online with a credit card or in the Extension Office with cash or check.

For further information concerning 4H or for assistance enrolling, call Purdue Extension – Washington County at 812-8834601, stop by their office located on the lower level of the Washington County Government Building at 806 Martinsburg Road in Salem, or email mcbrough@purdue.edu.

All sheep producers in the area are invited to the Washington County Sheep Association’s Annual Meeting on Thursday, February 7.

It will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the meeting room on the lower level of the Washington County Government Building located
at 806 Martinsburg Road, Salem.

The meeting will begin with a meal sponsored by the Washington County Sheep Association.

A short program from Dr. Mike Neary, Purdue Extension Sheep Specialist, over “Weaning Management,” will follow. Details about the association’s upcoming events will be presented and association business will also be conducted. Door prizes will
also be given.

Association annual dues of $10 may also be paid.

All sheep producers (whether you raise a couple of sheep or have a large flock) are encouraged to attend. Reservations should be made by calling 883-4601 by Friday, February 1.

Anyone unable to attend who would like more information about the Washington County Sheep Association should contact one of the Association’s officers/directors: President, Bronie Brown; Vice President – Dixie Carter, Secretary/Treasurer, Brenda Hash;
Directors, Dave Embree, Rachel Lengel, Aaron Walker, and Jason Webster or the Washington County Extension Office at 883-4601.

The Washington County Weed Board will meet this Thursday, Feb. 7 at 8:30a at the Washington County Government Building, located at 806 Martinsburg Road in Salem. 

The meeting is located in the Meeting Room on the Lower Level of the building.