To the OHA team:
September is Recovery Month. Many Oregonians who struggle with addiction rely on us to help them access services. One Oregonian, Michael Morgester, followed a course of recovery and relapse peppered with stints of homelessness and run-ins with law enforcement. But those whose lives he did touch call his legacy remarkable.
In 1994 Michael was sober, in his late 20s and living in an Oxford House, a self-run addiction recovery group home that supports sobriety without relapse. As part of his recovery, he became a volunteer at Oxford Houses in Portland and quickly an integral leader in the growing Oxford House model: By 2001, he had helped open 30 additional Oxford Houses.
Michael, now 49, is one of the most recognized faces and strongest voices for Oregon’s Oxford House Network, which serves more than 1,215 individuals in 155 Oxford Houses. “Without Oxford, there would be no sobriety,” he said. “I know I would be back in jail, homeless or, most likely, dead.”
Relapse is not uncommon and Michael did in 2012. For 18 years, he had been a role model for recovery. “I am humble and grateful for another chance,” he said. “I feel good and am living an authentic life.” He is married now and the father of a 1-year-old girl.
“I am in a place that I avoided for so long,” he said. “I had no idea how it would feel to have the love of a mate and the love of a child on top of that.” In 2014, Michael was diagnosed with advanced stage lung cancer. But he doesn’t dwell on his current treatment or prognosis because he is working on another project to help those in recovery. He is hoping to raise funds to open an alcohol-free and drug-free social venue.
“People in recovery also celebrate life events and holidays,” he said. “And they need a place to just hang out and socialize where there is support but no drugs or alcohol.”
One of the social determinants of health is a safe place to live. OHA helps people recovering from addiction, or living with mental illness or HIV, find housing that will allow them to be part of a nurturing community – and that contributes to the health of our entire state.
Next week OHA will begin a town hall tour around the state to hear from Oregonians who use behavioral health services, with meetings in Klamath Falls, La Grande, Bend, Astoria, Albany and Portland. We are looking forward to meeting the Oregonians we serve and learning how we can improve services.
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Michael Morgester with his family; and remaining active while undergoing cancer treatment. |
To your health: Flu season is coming. It’s not too early to immunize yourself and your family against influenza. Getting your flu vaccination is a very personal gift to give your community. It’s an effective way, along with washing your hands and staying home when you’re sick, to stop the spread of disease. PEBB is hosting a series of workplace flu vaccination clinics in Salem and Portland starting this week, or you can visit your health care provider or pharmacist. Please do this one simple thing to protect the health of everyone around you. |
