Dana Tell is in her 2nd year as the Coles County Recovery Oriented System of Care (ROSC) Coordinator. Photo via Linkedin.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website, since 1989, September has been known as the National Recovery Month. The purpose of this observation is to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the nation’s strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and communities who make recovery in all its forms possible.
Dana Tell, who is in her second year as the Coles County Recovery Oriented System of Care (ROSC) Coordinator, hosted the panel, “Fall into Recovery” on Thursday, September 28th from six to eight in the evening at the Family Worship Center in Charleston. The ROSC Council is located within the Sarah Bush Lincoln Center complex.
ROSC is a coordinated network of community-based services and supports that is person-centered and builds on the strengths and resiliencies of individuals, families, and communities to achieve recovery and improved health, wellness, and quality of life for those with or at risk of substance use disorders.
Tell stated that she wanted to “promote that recovery from substance use disorder can have many pathways and learn about the many resources available in the community.” She explained the purpose of the panel is to “hear courageous testimonies of how recovery can and does happen.”
She served as a moderator of the panel while the featured panelists included local community members, law enforcement from both the Mattoon Police Department (MPD) as well as the Coles County Sheriff’s Office, Substance Use Disorder Professionals, Peers in Recovery, and one family member, Liesl Wingert. Organizations that attended the panel were Gateway Foundation and Hour House, represented by Roberta Hinman and Teresa Johnson respectively.
Tell described how Wingert and two other people with lived experiences, (Megan Janes and Todd Brooks) “shared their journeys through addictions and recovery. They both served on the ROSC Council. The ROSC Council plans many events such as this (September 28th).
Tell clarified that prior to the panel, “Land of Lincoln Legal Aid was there to help with the people in attendance who needed expungement and sealing of their criminal records and they will help walk them through the process to get their record sealed or expunged. We (ROSC) will have another event in December where Land of Lincoln Legal Aid will go into detail for sealing and expungement of criminal records as well as receiving their services.”
Tell graduated with an Associate’s degree in Criminal Justice from Lake Land College in 2005 and worked for the Navigator News during the 2004-05 school year.
