Stark Pride Festival Committee Founder, T.J. Horwood

06/21/23 • 24 min

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Our guest on this episode is Thomas (T.J.) Horwood (he/him/his) who is the chair and founder of the Stark Pride Festival Committee.
The Stark Pride Festival Committee is a group of volunteer community members and stakeholders working together to plan an annual festival for the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, and everyone else who identifies with the community) and ally communities in Stark and surrounding counties.
He has led this committee since 2021 to successfully plan and implement two Stark Pride Festivals in Canton in June 2022 and 2023.
During this episode, T.J. reflects on some of the accomplishments and milestones the LGBTQ+ community has had in recent years and shares his message of hope for the future. We also discuss opportunities for advocacy, support, and collaboration with the LGBTQ+ community, especially in the Stark County area.
You can listen to the Hope Discovered Podcast by CommQuest on your favorite podcasting platform.

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What is a "Safe Zone?" with Kristin Carvajal

Join us on the latest episode of the Hope Discovered podcast to learn what it means for a provider to be “Safe Zone” trained to help clients and other members of the LGBTQ+ community who need to access services and treatment.
CommQuest is proud to have Safe Zone trained counselors on our team, and our guest, Kristin Carvajal, Training and Development Coordinator for CommQuest, has all the details.
If an organization displays the “Safe Zone” logo or is “Safe Zone Trained", they may have some team members who have completed Safe Zone training, or it may simply be a way for them to show they are supportive of LGBTQ+ individuals and identities.

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Dr. Ashlie Martin - Medication Assisted Treatment

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Our guest today is Dr. Ashlie Martin, the Medical Director of Addiction Medicine and Withdrawal Management/MAT at CommQuest.
To start the episode, Dr. Martin shares how her personal journey brought her into the field of addiction recovery, and ultimately, to CommQuest.
We then discuss CommQuest's Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) program. When used in combination with counseling services, MAT has proven highly effective in assisting individuals in their recovery from specific types of addiction.
Dr. Martin explains the basic strategy of MAT and why it is so effective in many cases of addiction treatment. She also addresses the stigma and many of the misconceptions about MAT and stresses this treatment is “medically assisted” and is not a substitute for a comprehensive approach to addiction treatment and the causes of addiction.
You can find out more about our MAT program and CommQuest at CommQuest.org