From Diana Vance
Monroe
To the editor:
State Senator Kathleen Vinehout contacted me the other day. She is running for governor and I let the word out that I would like to help her. What she passed on to me was the story of three women who brought the faces of addiction and recovery to the Capitol.
Senators do not often see the faces of those whose lives have changed by the action of lawmakers. The three women brought three panels of a very large quilt to the Capitol. On the quilt were the faces of those suffering from addiction. Senator Vinehout said there are even children who died.
Senator Vinehout learned from the women about the problems such as finding treatment, crisis care and inflexible sentencing. One of the women said how it is sometimes impossible to get people into treatment court or alternatives to incarceration because of the way the laws are written.
The quilt lets people see the faces of people who are suffering and the magnitude of people who are suffering. One of the women added, "We're not just losing one generation, we're losing several generations. No one understands the depth."
After listening to the Senate debate, one of the women said, "It's not a Democrat or Republican thing. It's everyone's. It's up to all of us to get together. It's a human problem and it's shameful we don't have the services - especially in rural areas."
Caring about the people behind the statistics became the life work of these resilient women. They want to make real change happen and make a real difference in the lives of those suffering from addiction.
Monroe
To the editor:
State Senator Kathleen Vinehout contacted me the other day. She is running for governor and I let the word out that I would like to help her. What she passed on to me was the story of three women who brought the faces of addiction and recovery to the Capitol.
Senators do not often see the faces of those whose lives have changed by the action of lawmakers. The three women brought three panels of a very large quilt to the Capitol. On the quilt were the faces of those suffering from addiction. Senator Vinehout said there are even children who died.
Senator Vinehout learned from the women about the problems such as finding treatment, crisis care and inflexible sentencing. One of the women said how it is sometimes impossible to get people into treatment court or alternatives to incarceration because of the way the laws are written.
The quilt lets people see the faces of people who are suffering and the magnitude of people who are suffering. One of the women added, "We're not just losing one generation, we're losing several generations. No one understands the depth."
After listening to the Senate debate, one of the women said, "It's not a Democrat or Republican thing. It's everyone's. It's up to all of us to get together. It's a human problem and it's shameful we don't have the services - especially in rural areas."
Caring about the people behind the statistics became the life work of these resilient women. They want to make real change happen and make a real difference in the lives of those suffering from addiction.
