Isabel Byon 0:00

The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports , or OASAS , provides this podcast as a public service . Thoughts and opinions do not necessarily represent or reflect those of the agency or state . This is Addiction: The Next Step .

Jerry Gretzinger 0:17

Welcome back to Addiction , the Next Step , a podcast brought to you by the New York State Offices of Addiction Services and Supports . I'm Jerry Gretzinger , your host , and today we're talking about something a little bit different . We're going to talk a little bit about a moment in recent history and how that may have impacted or affected some really important addiction services and supports that are being delivered in the western part of New York , specifically Buffalo . We are joined today by Robin Mann . She's from the Prevention Council , the executive director out there in Erie County , and thank you for sitting down with us today .

Robin Mann 0:49

Thank you for having me .

Jerry Gretzinger 0:50

So that moment in history I want to talk about , we're going back to 2022 . It was May 14th and that's when there was a mass shooting at the Tops supermarket there , right , and you know we've been talking about that before the episode started . But you know not to kind of go back and have to revisit the entire experience . But I mean , you live there , you shop there . This is something that affected every aspect of life in that region .

Robin Mann 1:16

Absolutely , it did Absolutely . So the Tops in that area is the only grocery store in that area , so that's where the residents go to shop , and you know for it to be targeted for what it was targeted for just being racially motivated shook up the entire neighborhood , right ? Because it's the only store there grocery store and you're not safe in your own community because of it the color of your skin . So , yes , it devastated the community for sure .

Jerry Gretzinger 1:49

put it in the context of the services that are provided by the Prevention Council , and I want to have you talk more about that broadly , about what it does , what it provides , in a few minutes . But how did that , what impact did it have on what the Prevention Council does day in and day out ? How did it affect the clients who go to ?

Robin Mann 2:07

it . So we do prevention , right , and the whole notion is to about making healthy choices and healthy decisions for yourself and your family and how those choices impact yourself , your family and the community . So we do a lot of education , we do a lot of skill building , and it just became a little more relevant at that time because you know you're talking about a traumatic experience . That was one of them , right , one of those that are totally out of your control .

Robin Mann 2:41

So we work in schools and we work in the schools around that community and we work in the schools around that community , and we were just present , we were there for the students . We talked about how to deal with stress , how to deal with anxiety , because , again , the shooting was racially motivated and that's not something you can change , right ? You are who you are and so the uncertainty , the fear , how does a child , how does an adult , how does someone of color move forward knowing that I have a target on my back in my community , in my yard , and I'm doing something as innocent as grocery shopping , right ? So we just really try to be more of a presence to the community , more of a presence in the schools that we were in within that community , help out and volunteer where we could as a staff to help the residents in the community .

Jerry Gretzinger 3:36

And so I would think too , with being familiar with the world of prevention work today . Maybe not everybody is , and we'll talk about that now . It sounds like you kind of keep doing what you were doing and probably do more of it , because you know we're here on the OASAS podcasts and people think , okay , it's addiction services and supports . But really the work of prevention now goes beyond what people may think was like just say no , just don't use drugs , and that's the end of it . But it's not anymore .

Jerry Gretzinger 4:04

There's so much more involved in it .

Robin Mann 4:06

Absolutely , it is so . In the world of prevention , we teach social skills , we teach the signs and symptoms , we teach the behaviors that come with substance use , so that people have heightened awareness of what it is . We really work very hard to minimize the stigma as much as we can so that people who are in need can , you know , receive the services that they need . We try to help individuals pull back the cover on it being , you know , a family thing and what happens in this house stays in this house , which then means sometimes people don't get the services they need .

Robin Mann 4:48

So it's teaching individuals and normalizing and making it okay to get help if you need help . But also helping individuals understand

Robin Mann 4:56

that you don't have to use drugs and alcohol when you're stressed or when you're depressed or lonely or bored or just because , right , like , there's other alternatives . But also understanding one's , maybe predisposition to addiction . What does

Robin Mann 5:11

that look like ? Understanding how drugs impacts the body of all ages , not just , you know , kids , but from our little little ones all the way to our , you know , seniors , right ? What does that look like ? How easy is it to become addicted for individuals , you know ? So , again , making healthy choices .

Robin Mann 5:31

So it's not just saying no , but it's making choices that are informed choices and informed decisions about you and your family .

Jerry Gretzinger 5:38

And some of the skills that you just discussed certainly have you know much more application than when it comes to substances , and I'm sure that incident at Tops was an example as to how helpful and useful to people .

Robin Mann 5:51

Absolutely .

Jerry Gretzinger 5:52

Robin , I want to thank you for sitting down and chatting with us today . I think the work you're doing out there is great . If people have questions or want to get involved or think they might be able to benefit from some of the services the prevention services where can they go ? How can they find you online ?

Robin Mann 6:05

So we service Erie County but we are connected with many counties throughout New York State so you don't have to be in Erie County to need assistance . But you can give us a call and we can direct you in the area that you live in for any services , whether prevention , treatment , early intervention , recovery , harm reduction , whatever services you might need . We can link you to that . But they can call 716-831-2298 . And they can just ask for anyone . They can ask for me or just say I'm calling because I need some help and the person who answers will help them or connect them with someone that they can contact . great

Jerry Gretzinger 6:42

Great . Thank you so much , and I'm going to share OASAS information as well , because we have a lot of services and supports we can connect you with there . Additionally , it's oasas . ny . gov, oasas . ny . gov , our Hope Line . 877-8-HOPE-NY . Robin Mann . Thank you once again .

Robin Mann 6:58

Thank you .

Jerry Gretzinger 6:58

For sitting down with us today and thank you for checking out this episode of the podcast . I'm Jerry Gretzinger . Until we talk to you again , be well .