Leading with compassion at the Charles County Public Library
At the Charles County Public Library (CCPL) in Maryland, staff started looking at the opioid crisis through a lens of understanding and empathy to serve their community. Karen Wilson, the Peer Outreach Coordinator at CCPL, shared that learning about opioid use disorder, its history, and current trends opened her eyes to the pains of addiction, and a hurting community. This exploration expanded her horizons and added passion and drive to the development of her library’s opioid response.
As one of the beta testers for WebJunction’s Opioid Crisis Support Kit for Public Libraries, Wilson shared the following when asked what she would share with library staff who are considering learning more about this health topic, “I’m glad I did it because I didn’t have an understanding about the issues. It was very eye-opening to me and made me more passionate about getting something done to combat the crisis.” In discussions with Wilson, you can hear the compassion, knowledge, and sensitivity for the issue at hand. These are sentiments that are commonly shared among other library staff who choose to add opioid responses to their programming.
Just like any type of programming, there were occasional challenges with the implementation. Wilson shared that the library initially wanted to host a drug takeback event, which involves collecting unused and/or expired medications in collaboration with law enforcement who later securely dispose of the drugs. However, this isn’t a service that her local police department offers, but she was able to make a connection with the local health department. The health department introduced Wilson to a safe and secure drug disposal option called the Deterra Drug Disposal System, which are individual, sealable pouches that are used to get rid of unneeded medications. Through the health department, the library was able to receive the bags at no cost and distribute them to patrons.
The Deterra pouches were available at every branch, and more than 1,400 were distributed in the library and at community events. Wilson took advantage of the opportunity to engage with patrons and share how the pouches can help in combatting the opioid crisis by removing unused medication from homes. It was a discussion point that caught the interest of many, including that of a local county commissioner, who was impressed that the library was taking action.
Compassion and open-mindedness allowed the library staff to see the opioid crisis in a different light in LaPlata, Maryland. At the end of the day, the willingness of one library staff member to understand the issue created ripples of change throughout her community. The library plans to continue distributing Deterra bags and hopes to include other ways to impact the opioid crisis through their health programming in the future.
“I’m glad I did it because I didn’t have an understanding about the issues. It was very eye-opening to me and made me more passionate about getting something done to combat the crisis.”
Karen Wilson, Peer Outreach Coordinator, Charles County Public Library
You can learn more by checking out WebJunction’s Opioid Crisis Support Kit for Public Libraries. The kit is freely available and includes information about the opioid crisis, how to work with community partners, and ideas for programs and resources. Explore this new tool and learn about the difference you can make to support the community your library serves in leading a healthy and productive life.