Benefit Concert To Raise Money For Police-Led Drug Program

BEREA, OH — On Sunday, several communities will come together to raise money for their Safe Passages programs, a police-led drug addiction recovery system. The We Do Recover benefit concert will be held at Baldwin Wallace's Kulas Musical Building at 3 p.m.

The event will feature live music and speakers, but it's not clear yet who will be performing at the event. The proceeds from We Do Recover will go to Safe Passages programs in Bedford, Berea, Newburgh Heights, Olmsted Township and Strongsville.

In October 2016, the Democratic staff of the Senate Finance Committee released a report that called Ohio the "face of the nation's opioid epidemic." Last year, 2017, may have been even deadlier than 2016.

Fentanyl has specifically led to thousands of deaths throughout the state. In 2014, there were 503 fentanyl overdose deaths. In 2015, there were 1,155, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

"It's a public health crisis," Berea Police Sgt. Patrick Greenhill told Patch shortly after Safe Passages launched in that city in 2016. "We're very familiar with the problems of heroin and opioids. We want to come at it in more of a service aspect."

Strongsville unveiled its Safe Passages program in late August 2017. The city unrolled a multi-pronged strategy for stemming the flow of opioids in the suburb. Besides Safe Passages, Strongsville also has a Quick Response Team. Police, fire departments, and the Strongsville faith community will send a team of specialists to meet with overdose survivors and their families. The specialists will go over treatment options, referrals, recovery support and other options for people battling addiction.

Photo from Google Earth