Advocates spotlight addiction as treatable disease in Pike County

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In a booth at the Milford Diner, Susan Ficken shared with three friends how she lost a loved one to alcoholism and how another family member was recovering from heroin addiction.

Her friends also shared their stories of how addiction affected their lives.

“We recognized there were probably others in the community going through this and who didn’t know where to go,” said Ficken, 53.

In that moment, in the summer of 2016, they decided to create Hope4Pike. The Milford-based nonprofit is the first of its kind in the Northeast Pennsylvania county of about 56,000 residents. Its mission is to provide support for those affected by addiction, educate the public that alcohol and drug addictions are treatable diseases, reduce the associated stigma and raise public awareness.

“As a nation, we have been slow to react to this epidemic,” said Ficken. “We weren’t content to wait for someone else to take action. We felt we could help.”

Hope4Pike holds monthly support groups and its 10 core members participate in fundraisers, host awareness events at schools and work closely with the Pike County Opioid Task Force and other local advocacy groups.

They also advocate for change. When concerns were raised during a support group meeting that the county’s probation office’s 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. hours were difficult for recovering addicts who work, Hope4Pike members worked to get the office hours changed. The probation office now remains open until 6 p.m. Wednesdays.

“Many of us in the group have been affected by addiction, so we know first hand what others look for,” said Hope4Pike Vice President Heather Day.

Day noted that those not touched by addiction often do not understand the everyday hurdles recovering addicts face. For example, often recovering addicts have had their driver’s licenses suspended, forcing them to rely on someone else to drive them. The task of coordinating their schedules between home, work and sometimes the probation office only adds to the daily stress.

Hope4Pike may not have the numbers and resources needed to take on greater efforts, but Ficken says its accomplishments are large for an organization still in its infancy. The group has gained support from local businesses and churches and has launched a Facebook page.

“As our organization grows and brings new members, it will help expand our efforts and the options we can make available to the community,” said Day. “The more members we have, the more we can do.”