BLOUNTVILLE — As the opioid epidemic continues to plague the region, some community leaders are asking the faith community to help solve the problem.

To help build the alliance between clinicians, educators and the church, community and faith leaders gathered at Northeast State Community College on Tuesday to announce the Holy Friendship Summit, a two-day event that will create a long-term vision for beating the opioid crisis.

“The name is important, Holy Friendship Summit,” said Lottie Ryans, director of workforce and literacy initiatives for the First Tennessee Development District. “I think friendship is really what we want people to feel when they come to the summit, to understand that we are all trying to find solutions together in the region. It doesn’t matter what size church someone attends, what size their congregation is. We need everybody to reach out and help each other.”

One of the most important steps of remedying the opioid crisis, Ryans said, is to first understand how a person could become addicted to these medicines.

Becky Haas, development and implementer of community crime prevention programs at the Johnson City Police Department, said research indicates that childhood trauma is a big factor in determining whether someone may become an addict later in life.

In her work at the JCPD, Haas has seen an overwhelming response to the department’s new trauma-informed system of care, and she expects the Holy Friendship Summit will expand that progress.

“This event is bringing together clinicians and practitioners who understand the effects of trauma and the churches of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia that understand the healing power of God,” Haas said. “This combination is a dynamic formula for change.”

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