BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio — While local police, fire and EMS crews are the first on the scene in an emergency, there are multiple situations where a caller may need the help of a different kind of response team.
In Butler County, if there is a suicide or unintentional overdose in certain areas, including Fairfield or Oxford Township, officers may reach out to the LOSS/DOSS team from Envision Partnerships. LOSS/DOSS stands for Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors (LOSS) and Drug Overdose Survivor Support Team (DOSS).
"Our main goal is to support the bereaved, who are suffering from the traumatic loss of a suicide death or an unintentional drug overdose death," said Jennifer MacLean, Butler County LOSS/DOSS team coordinator.
MacLean said that in most cases, her team may be contacted by the Butler County coroner, requesting services for a family struck by grief.
"We're with the survivors," MacLean said.
Watch to see a simulated response from the LOSS/DOSS team in Butler County:
One of the things that makes the LOSS/DOSS team specially equipped is that each volunteer has lived through grief from unexpectedly losing a loved one. Some have dealt with suicide in the family, others with unintentional overdoses.
"We all have experienced loss through overdose or suicide of loved ones. We can come at it with that unique perspective to say we see you; we understand in a unique way," said Tami Adams, a harm reduction outreach nurse and a volunteer on the LOSS/DOSS team.
MacLean told me that overdose rates in Butler County have dropped, but suicide numbers have remained about the same. So the work of the LOSS/DOSS team is critical to combat stigma and allow for positive support.
"Postvention is prevention," said MacLean.
As part of WCPO 9's commitment to finding and highlighting solutions in the Tri-State, I was able to join LOSS/DOSS volunteers on a simulated training response.
Saturday morning, team members came together at Envision Partnerships' office in Hamilton, alongside Fairfield Township Police Sgt. Terry Viel.
The simulation began with a phone call from Viel, requesting the LOSS/DOSS response to a mock scene. Then, MacLean sent out two volunteers from the team.
This particular simulation was a scripted response to a situation where someone would have died from an unintentional overdose.
Tami Adams and another volunteer met with me outside a Fairfield Township home, where Sgt. Viel and the woman acting as a grieving family member were waiting.
The volunteers sat down with the resident, helping with the simulation, and began the conversation.
Adams led the back-and-forth as the participant read through a scripted situation.
"Is there anything you’d like to share with us about what happened?" Adams asked.
The stand-in family member described the situation as a young family member found after an accidental overdose.
The two volunteers went through questions, provided physical resources, and invited the grieving family member to Envision's grief support groups, which are specific to the circumstances they respond to.
"Our support doesn’t stop at the scene," MacLean told me during our sit-down conversation.
The team coordinator told me her hope is to expand their services across the entirety of Butler County. For anyone interested in volunteering with the LOSS/DOSS team, you can find more information on Envision Partnerships' website.
Anyone interested can also email MacLean directly at jmaclean@envisionpartnerships.com or call 513-868-2100 ext. 227.
