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Representatives from onion companies from all over the world were in Genesee County today to see the world famous Elba Mucklands.

The tour is part of a convention of onion industry leaders hosted by the National Onion Association in Niagara County this week. The attendees had breakfast in Batavia and then toured the mucklands.

The visit included a presentation by Christy Hoepting, a researcher with the Cornell Cooperative Extension, who is studying the impact of weeds on onion growth and how best to control them in the field.

There was also a presentation on experimental onion varieties being grown in the muck.

There were people in the tour group from not only the United States, but also Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Canada and Mexico.

"This is a beautiful and productive place," said Kim Reddin, director of public and industry relations for NOA. "Absolutely, it's unique and one of the main growing areas in the eastern part of the United States."

Roger J. Grazioplene, 41, of Summit Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree harassment. He was arrested on July 5 following an investigation into an incident which occurred at 4:29 p.m. on June 24 on Summit Street wherein he allegedly flicked a cigarette at another person and the cigarette struck the person in the neck during an argument. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in City Court on July 19. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins.

Martha I. Grazioplene, 40, of Summit Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree harassment. She was arrested on July 5 following an investigation into an incident which occurred at 4:29 p.m. on June 24 on Summit Street wherein Grazioplene allegedly subjected another person to unwanted physical contact by grabbing and pulling on the person's arm during an argument. She was issued an appearance ticket and is due in City Court on July 19. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins.

Samuel R. Giglia, 25, of Ledge Lane, Williamsville, is charged with second-degree harassment. He was arrested on July 5 following an investigation into an incident which occurred at 4:29 p.m. on June 24 on Summit Street wherein Giglia allegedly pushed a female during an argument with the female and her husband. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in City Court on July 12. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins.

Steven James Scott, 25, of Thorpe Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree menacing. He was arrested on Watson Street following an investigation into a reported disturbance on Thorpe Street at 11:38 p.m. on July 8. It is alleged that Scott displayed a knife during the incident. He was jailed in lieu of an unspecified amount of bail and is due in City Court at a later date. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Peter Flanagan, assisted by Officer Matthew Lutey.

Jose Gomez-Chavez, 43, of Oak Orchard Road, Elba, is charged with: second-degree burglary -- illegal entry into dwelling; first-degree criminal contempt -- violation of order of protection; and fourth-degree criminal mischief -- intent to damage property. At 12:10 a.m. on July 10, Gomez-Chavez allegedly broke into the residence of a person for whom there was an order of protection. During the course of breaking into the residence, a window was allegedly damaged. Gomez-Chavez was put in jail and bail was set at $25,000 cash or $50,000 bond. He is due in Town of Elba Court on July 13. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy James Diehl, assisted by Deputy Chad Cummings. UPDATE (by Howard Owens): We have a little more information on this case. Deputy Chris Erion was just clearing a concert detail at Darien Lake at 1 a.m. when this call came in. He responded with his K-9 "Destro." Destro picked up the track and began to follow it for about a half-mile into several fields, a large storage building, across a road and into a thick, brushy hedgerow and a bed of poison ivy.  Destro located the subject. In the midst of the search, Erion lost his cell phone. Destro located that, too, the next day, in the middle of a field.

Alex P. Wells, 27, of Pembroke, was arrested on July 8 on Route on 33 in the Town of Pembroke after being stopped for speeding -- going 70 in a 55-mph zone. SP Batavia Trooper Eric Daigler stopped Wells at about 11:45 p.m. and the vehicle Wells was driving struck a mailbox as it was pulling over. Wells was allegedly found to be intoxicated, with a BAC of .23 percent. He was issued tickets for aggravated DWI and speeding and is to appear in Town of Pembroke Court at a later date to answer the charges.

Dylan Nathan Willett, 22, of Murphy Road, Gainesville, is charged with driving while intoxicated and aggravated driving while intoxicated for allegedly having a BAC of .18 percent or more at the time. Willett was arrested following a traffic stop on Sumner Road in the Town of Darien at 11:49 p.m. on July 8. He was allegedly found to have a BAC more than two tines the legal limit and was arrested. He is due in Town of Darien Court on July 19. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Patrick Reeves, assisted by Deputy Kevin Forsyth.

Lindsay Patricia Kenyon, 21, of Christ Road, Warsaw, is charged with second-degree obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest. She was arrested at 11:51 a.m. on July 8 following an incident on Sumner Road in Darien wherein she allegedly became verbally and physically offensive toward a deputy while a friend was being investigated for a possible DWI violation. Kenyon allegedly refused to cooperate and physically obstructed the deputy during her friend's subsequent arrest, thus she was also arrested. Kenyon allegedly continued to be verbally abusive and physically resisted arrest and had to be subdued to avoid injuries. She is due in Darien Town Court on July 19. The case was handled by Deputy Patrick Reeves, assisted by Deputy Kevin Forsyth.

Martha L. Munson, 63, of River Street, Batavia, is charged with moving from lane unsafely and driving while intoxicated. Munson was westbound on West Main Street in Batavia at 4:11 p.m. on July 2 when she was allegedly observed swerving into the passing lane twice, both times without a signal or other indication she was about to make a lane change. She subsequently submitted to a blood draw to determine her BAC and those results are pending. Additional charges may be forthcoming. She was released on an appearance ticket and in due in City Court on July 20. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Chad Richards, assisted by Officer Stephen Cronmiller.

Martin Fitzgerald Jones Sr., 45, of Mill Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. He was arrested at 8:57 p.m. on July 9 after allegedly stealing a bicycle out of a yard on Pringle Avenue in the city. He was jailed in lieu of $10,000 bail or $20,000 bond. He is due in City Court today to answer the charge. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay, assisted by Officer Arick Perkins. Following his arrest on the petit larceny charge, Jones was charged with promoting prison contraband in the second degree. Jones allegedly introduced contraband into the Genesee County Jail at 10:35 p.m. on July 9. He is due in City Court on July 27 to answer that charge. The contraband case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Robert Henning, assisted by Deputy Christopher Parker.

Lenard Tyshon Jones, 23, of Lux Street, Rochester, is charged with: unlawful possession of marijuana; second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation; unlicensed operator; speeding over 55 mph; and driver's view obstructed. Jones was stopped at 6:54 p.m. on July 2 on Route 77 in Pembroke for allegedly speeding. An investigation revealed that the defendant was allegedly unlicensed to drive, was driving on a suspended license and in possession of marijuana. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

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Photo and story submitted by Drew Muehlig.

A four-run fourth inning was the difference as Elba downed Chili 8-4 Saturday to win the youth major league baseball championship.

The Lancers were leading 4-2 heading into the fourth, but the insurance runs in that big inning proved to be the difference. Zach Howard led off the inning with a single, scoring on Randy McIntire’s double on the very next pitch. Jake Engle added an infield single and then Nate Esten connected on a two-out single to score McIntire, putting runners on the corners. Brendan Thompson then sent a hard grounder through shortstop that took a tremendous bounce over the approaching fielder. Thompson took advantage, stretching the hit into a triple to score two runs putting the Lancers up 8-2.

Chili would score two runs in the top half of the sixth but their comeback fell short.

Elba’s CJ Gottler struck out nine in earning the win on the mound while Howard fired seven strikeouts to collect the save. Gottler and Zach Marsceill had huge run-scoring singles to keep Elba in the game early. Anthony Zambito also singled for the Lancers, who finish the year at 15-1. 

Photo: Front row -- CJ Gottler, Anthony Zambito, Zach Howard; second row, Frank Warriner, Jake Engle, Randy McIntire; third row, Tyler Kauffman, Brendan Thompson, Gage Chamberlain, Arron Wyder, Nate Esten, Caden Muehlig, Zach Marsceill; back row, coaches Drew Muehlig, Brian Engle and Vern Howard.

Photo and article submitted by Drew Muehlig.

The Elba Lancers used an explosive four-run fifth inning to surge past Sweden Clarkson 5-2 in youth major league baseball playoff semifinal action Thursday night.

Elba’s Zach Howard led off the inning with a single up the middle. He subsequently stole second base and made his way to third on an errant throw. Howard then raced home on a passed ball, sliding across the plate safely to tie the score at 2-2, firing up the Lancers' bench in the process.

Caden Muehlig followed moments later with a one-out triple to deep right-center field. He would score the go-ahead run on the next pitch as Randy McIntire doubled him in for his second RBI of the game. Nate Esten and Gage Chamberlain also notched RBI doubles as the inning continued. When all was said and done, Elba had a 5-2 lead heading into the top of the sixth inning.

Howard took it from there, sandwiching a foul pop catch between two strikeouts to end the game. He finished with six strikeouts in relief to pick up the win. Starter CJ Gottler kept the Lancers in it, striking out seven, giving up two unearned runs, as Elba struggled early in the field.

McIntire led Elba offensively with two hits and two stolen bases. Brendan Thompson added a single for the Lancers (14-1). Elba will host the league championship Saturday against a team yet to be determined.

Sweden Clarkson finishes the year 13-2.

The fourth annual Pig Roast and Craft Show will be held at Elba Village Park from noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 10. Admission is free.

"We're expanding off of the Onion Festival to bring community closer," said Carrie Mudrzynski, member of the Elba Betterment Committee, which is hosting the event.

More than 50 local vendors and businesses will be there, along with live music. The Mud Pit is cooking the meat. Plates are $10 and you can choose from pulled pork or hamburgers, and more. The Elba Betterment Committee is providing additional food.

Musicians include:

• Front Porch Pickers
• Mac and Company
• Bobby and the Pedestrians

Although the beloved Onion Festival is history, after it began nearly 80 years ago, an Onion Queen will still reign. The Elba Volunteer Fire Department is holding the contest, so the tradition will continue.

The Onion Queen Parade will start at 3:45 p.m. Eight girls will be in it, riding on convertibles, and waving, of course. At 4:30, they will crown the Onion Queen.

Beforehand, at noon, there will be a Kiddie Parade.

Elba sports boosters will have a dunk tank. 

There will also be four bounce houses, costing $5 for unlimited use, and various games provided by Extended Sound from Wyoming. (Prices to be determined.)

Antique tractors from local farms will also be on display.

"Our biggest objective is to make this family affordable,” said Joanna Soules, president of the Elba Betterment Committee.

On-site parking is provided along with traffic control by Elba Volunteer Fire Department.

"While there are many donations, this event is funded by the Betterment Committee using monies from previous fund raisers," says Elba resident Pauline Miano.

This event is rain or shine; there is shelter available in case of rain. 

If you are a vendor and want to be included you can email the Elba Betterment Committee at:   vendors@elbabetterment.com

Editor's note: The story has been corrected to reflect information provided by Pauline Miano and "Kim."

The Drama Club of Elba High School presents a performance tonight that highlights the past 10 years of musicals performed by the Club, including selections from "The King and I," "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," "Cats" and "My Fair Lady." The performances will be followed by senior awards.

The show starts at 7 p.m. in the Elba Central School theater and tickets are $3 per person.

David Zuppelli, of Batavia, submitted this photo of his father, Chester Zuppelli, playing Taps on Memorial Day 1944 in New Caledonia, South Pacific.

Here's a schedule for Memorial Day Ceremonies and the Batavia parade:

7 a.m. -- Genesee County Park (11095 Bethany Center Road, East Bethany) -- Vietnam Veterans Memorial (VVA #193)

8 a.m. -- Williams Park, City of Batavia-- WW I Memorial (wreath laying, rifle salute & Taps)

8:30 a.m. -- Batavia VA Medical Center

8:45 a.m. -- NYS Veterans Home

9:30 a.m. -- Upton Monument (routes 5 and 63) (wreath laying, rifle salute & Taps)

9:45 a.m. -- Batavia Cemetery, Harvester Avenue, City of Batavia (wreath laying, rifle salute & Taps)

10 a.m. -- Elmwood Cemetery, off Harvester Avenue and Webster Street in the city (AL #332)

10 a.m. -- CITY PARADE -- Begins at the Eastown Plaza traveling west along Main Street and ending at Jerome Center on Bank Street at 10:45 a.m.

10:45 a.m. -- UMMC -- Jerome Center:

• Memorial Day ceremonies: Invocation; National Anthem with Batavia Concert Band; G.A.R. Order of the Day; Veterans Service Organizations Commemorations; wreath laying with Gold Star Mothers; Honor Roll with drum roll; rifle salute; Taps; Benediction; "God Bless America."

Noon -- Hansen Brothers Grave -- Grandview Cemetery on Clinton Street Road, Batavia (MCL #951)

Participating organizations:

Hansen Borthers Marine Corps League Detachment #951

Glenn S. Loomis American Legion Post #332

Veness-Strollo Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #1602

Disabled American Veterans Chapter #166

Vietnam Veterans of American Chapter #193

Sons of Union Veterans Abraham Lincoln Camp #6

Here are more local Memorial Day ceremonies/parades:

• ALEXANDER: Parade begins at 10:30 a.m. at the Alexander High School and travels to the cemetery on Railroad Avenue with a ceremony to take place at the cemetery following the parade.

• BERGEN: Parade at 9 a.m. beginning at the Fire Hall (Route 19 & Hunter Street), traveling south on Route 19 to Hickory Park with ceremony to take place at the park immediately following the parade.
•  
• BYRON: Parade at 11 a.m. from Terry Street to Swamp Road with a ceremony immediately following at Byron Cemetery.

• CORFU: Parade at noon from Corfu Fire hall on Route 33 to the Intermediate School on Route 77. Ceremony immediately following the parade.

• ELBA: Ceremony at Maple Lawn Cemetery at 10 a.m. No parade. The Elba Historical Society Museum will be open for tours after the ceremony.
•  
• LEROY: Parade at 10:30 a.m. from the American Legion to Trigon Park with a ceremony at Trigon Park at 11 a.m. following the parade.

• OAKFIELD: Parade at 11 a.m. from the Oakfield Fire Dept. to Triangle Park with ceremony to be held at Triangle Park.

• PAVILION: Ceremony at 10 a.m. at the Town Park at intersection of routes 63 and 19. No parade.

No parades/ceremonies for the following:

• Alabama

• Bethany

• Darien

• Pembroke

• Stafford

A vehicle has reportedly struck a building at 6946 Weatherwax Road, Elba.

A propane tank is leaking.

No injuries are reported. 

Elba fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

A working house fire is reported at 8157 State Street Road. Town of Batavia, Stafford, Elba, Oakfield and Alexander volunteer fire departments are responding to the scene.

UPDATE 10:49 p.m.: Personnel from the NYSP, Batavia PD and GC Sheriff's Office are on scene, too.

UPDATE: Confirmed fatal fire.

UPDATE 12 a.m.: Town Code enforcement and a Water Department rep called to the scene.

UPDATE 1:30 a.m (by Howard): I've just returned from the scene. Two children, approximate ages 2 and 3, died in the fire. The mother was reportedly out of the house at the time of the fire. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. We'll have a full report in a separate post later.

Three residents of a Log City Road home in Elba have been arrested by State Police following an investigation into a series of alleged sex crimes.

Three members of one family from Elba were arrested following a State Police investigation into allegations of sexual abuse and rape.

A father, mother and adult son were all charged.

The probe in the alleged crimes by Troop A's Bureau of Criminal Investigation began after State Police received a complaint in March.

Scott A. Reed, 50, of Log City Road, is accused of sexual abuse against a minor over a 10-year span. He is charged with course of sexual conduct, 2nd.

His wife, Deborah S. Reed, 51, of Log City Road, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. She is accused of failure to provide adequate protection to other children in the home after learning of past abuse by Scott Reed.

Their son, Jonathan M. Reed, 22, is charged with several counts of second-degree rape, second-degree criminal sexual act and endangering the welfare of a child in the Town of Perry, and with second-degree rape, third-degree rape and third-degree criminal sexual act in the Town of Lancaster.

Jonathan is accused of sexual contact with two teenage girls.

Press release:

U.S. News & World Report released its current rankings for high schools across the nation recently and several area schools earned spots in the top 225 of New York State.

Pembroke High School ranked 123 out of 1,272 public schools in the state. Elba was also in the top 15 percent, coming in at 172, with Le Roy right behind at 180. Medina (207) in Orleans County and Warsaw (213) in Wyoming County also ranked within the top 225.

The report’s criteria are based on overall performance of students on state tests, participation and performance on advanced placement exams and graduation rates. The goal of these rankings is to provide an unbiased picture of the top performing schools and how well those schools serve all of their students.

U.S. News & World Report has been releasing annual high school rankings since 2007.

US News & World Report New York State High School Rankings

Rank    School                  Student/Teacher Ratio                   College Readiness                  Math Proficiency            English Proficiency

123      Pembroke                    11:1                                                     38.4                                        92%                                   94%

172      Elba                              8:1                                                      29.1                                        95%                                    76%

180      Le Roy                         12:1                                                     27.6                                        86%                                    90%

207      Medina                              14:1                                                     23.0                                         88%                                    90%

213     Warsaw                              11:1                                                     22.1                                         88%                                    92%

*from usnews.com

Here are Tuesday's available election results:

Batavia City Schools:
The Budget - $44,366,439 (increase of $1,258,066 or 2.92%: $0.00 increase in tax levy)

• Yes - 407  (85.86%)
• No - 67  (14.14%)

Student Ex-Officio Board Member (non-voting) 

• Yes -  436  (92.57%
• No - 35  (7.43%)

Board of Education positions: three positions, with top two votes terms are full term from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2019 ,and the lowest vote is a partial term from May 17, 2016 to June 30, 2018 

• Patrick Burk 385  (May 17, 2016 - June 30, 2018)
• Peter Cecere - 427  (July 1, 2016  -June 30, 2019)
• Karen Tomidy - 424   (July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2019)

Elba Central Schools:

Proposition #1 - 2016/2017 Budget - $9,260,316  --   Passed  (129 Yes/38 No)

Proposition #2 - Purchase of one (1) 65 Passenger Bus   --  Passed  (130 Yes/39 No)

One Board of Education Seat, One Candidate: Michael Hare (142 Votes)

Oakfield-Alabama Central School District:

Proposition #1: Budget:  Yes:   293 / No:  44

Proposition #2: Buses:   Yes:  280 /  No:  52

Board Members:  

• Jeff Hyde (Incumbent) 248
• Matt Lamb, 170

(Two doses of Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdose, with a nosepiece applicator are kept in every road bag at the Batavia Police Department.)

Jenna Brown was an honor student and captain of the cheerleading squad at Elba High School. Like any typical teenage girl, Brown wanted to fit in so she drank and experimented with drugs to get her peers to like her. She found partying to be empowering and never thought addiction would happen to her. Although she had a lot of friends, she felt alone.

In 2012, she graduated from high school and went off to Alfred State College to get an associate degree in Nursing. Everything seemed to be fine until she went through a bad breakup during her first year. She was shattered inside and didn’t know how to cope.

Brown’s mom, Kathy Miller, noticed some changes in her daughter’s behavior but just thought she was trying to find her way.

“She would call at all different times, sometimes crying, sometimes homesick, sometimes sounding lost and sometimes happy,” Miller said. “That first semester was chaotic.”

In an attempt to make new friends, Brown started partying again and met a guy. After hanging out with him several times and watching him make frequent trips to the bathroom, she discovered he was using heroin. By then her drinking was out of control and she was curious about using. The guy helped her inject her first hit of heroin.

“I loved it and hated it at the same time,” Brown said. “I hated it for the way it physically made me feel but mentally it was the solution for me. It helped take away the loneliness. When I did heroin, I didn’t care about being alone.”

Heroin use has more than doubled among young adults ages 18 to 25 in the past decade according to the Centers for Disease Control. The 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health stated 2.4 million people abused or were dependent on opioids including heroin and prescription painkillers. Opiates are drugs derived from the opium poppy. Opioids are synthetic or semi-synthetic drugs that are manufactured to work in a similar way to opiates. The term opioid is used to describe the entire class of opiates including natural, synthetic and semi-synthetic.

Over the last few years, Genesee County has seen the opioid epidemic on the rise. Genesee Orleans County on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse has about 100 patients on Suboxone, a medication used to treat opioid addiction. Approximately one-third of individuals in Genesee County Drug Treatment Court are opiate dependent.

(Nicole Desmond, drug court treatment coordinator, Judge Robert Balbick and Jeffrey Smith, project director for the 8^thJudicial District.)

“We have been doing treatment court for 15 years,” said Judge Robert Balbick, who runs Genesee County Drug Treatment Court. “Opiate addiction has changed the way we look at treatment because we’re dealing with a deadly situation.”

Due to the high risk of overdose, quick access to treatment is crucial. Throughout the program, Nicole Desmond, drug court treatment coordinator, strictly monitors participants’ progress by getting weekly updates from them and issuing random drug testing. The program lasts an average of 18 months. If participants relapse, the team takes immediate measures to get them into inpatient treatment to prevent overdose.

In 2015, 15 deaths were caused by drug-induced overdoses in the county according to the Genesee County Health Department. Prescription opiates were used in combination with other prescription drugs and/or illicit drugs that contributed to at least six deaths. An illicit opiate was used in combination with prescription drugs that contributed to at least two additional deaths.

“Heroin is increasing steadily to the point where now we are dealing with overdoses,” said Det. Sgt. Todd Crossett at the Batavia Police Department. “It’s all over and it’s become a lot more dangerous than cocaine was because it’s being laced with synthetic fentanyl which you don’t know what you’re having until you inject it and it’s too late.”

Drug dealers cut the heroin with fentanyl, the strongest opioid used for medical purposes, to increase the potency. This deadly trend has led to a recent surge of overdose deaths. Batavia police officers carry Narcan, a drug used to reverse opioid overdose, in their cars. When they respond to a potential overdose call, the needle is often times nearby in the presence of fentanyl.

“If they have gotten fentanyl in the drug the needle may still be in them because fentanyl is so fast acting they might not have been able to put the stuff away,” Crossett said.

(Todd Crossett of the Batavia Police Department with the supplies bag that every road officer carries in their car.)

Andrew London, a 24-year-old recovering alcoholic and opioid addict, recently lost a close friend to a heroin overdose. She passed away a month before he could give her a tree of life necklace he bought her for Christmas.

“As soon as you see someone close to you use and die, it hits you,” London said. “It was one of the saddest things I have ever experienced.”

London has been convicted of two DWIs and has been receiving treatment on and off for alcohol addiction since he was 18 years old. He became addicted to opioids after being prescribed hydrocodone for back pain in August 2011. As a result, he started misusing the painkiller and violated his probation.

“Drugs don’t discriminate,” London said. “Overdoses can happen to anyone.”

In particular, however, women, the privately insured and people with higher incomes are those with the highest increase in heroin use according to the CDC.

“This is truly a white middle-class problem,” said John Bennett, executive director at GCASA. “We are not talking about street junkies anymore. Many addicts function like normal people.”

For a while, Brown, the 21-year-old recovering heroin addict, was able to maintain her addiction and continued getting good grades. She was playing two different people and no one had any idea that she was a heroin addict. However, on the inside she hated herself.

"Advances in Psychiatric Treatment," a medical journal, report 48 percent of opioid users have experienced depression at some point in their lives.

“One of the biggest things with addiction that people don’t understand is that 99 percent of the people that walk through our doors are in some kind of emotional or physical pain,” said Shannon Murphy, director of treatment at GCASA. “To ask them to stop taking it, is like having a raw open nerve.”

Brown’s next high was always in the back of her mind. Her addiction spun out of control after she graduated college in December 2014. She moved back home in Elba and her parents found out she was using. She overdosed several times. Her mom took her to Erie County Medical Center but the doctors sent her back home because she wasn’t using enough bags in a day for inpatient treatment. She attempted to stop using on her own but the withdrawal symptoms were too severe.

“She would try to go through withdrawal but it was awful for her and for me,” Miller said. “She was so thin, so frail and so sickly. Her beautiful blue eyes sunken in and gone, replaced by lifeless empty sockets. She had such pale, bluish-gray skin.”

Brown was ashamed for putting her parents and siblings through everything. However, she was afraid to get sober because she never thought she would feel good.

“People always tried to scare me into getting sober,” Brown said. “I wasn’t afraid to die. I was afraid of suffering. It got to a point where I either continued to kill myself or get help.”

She was tired of feeling sick and determined to try for something better. She started going to outpatient treatment at GCASA and was put on a waiting list for detox treatment at the Horizon Village Terrace House in Buffalo.

“I woke up at three in the afternoon and I was going to get high at four when my mom told me there was a bed available,” Brown said. “It was heaven to my ears but nails on a chalkboard. There is something taunting about knowing you could get high in an hour or be saved in an hour.”

In October, she completed the detox and started a 28-day inpatient rehab program at the Terrace House. During inpatient, she started taking Vivitrol, an injectable medication to prevent relapse for opioid dependence after detox.

Vivitrol is a trade name for naltrexone, one of the medications approved by the Federal Drug Administration to treat opioid addiction. The medication attaches to opioid receptors in the brain and blocks pleasurable feelings associated with opioids and reduces cravings. The blocking effect decreases over time so addicts must receive the shot each month by a healthcare professional. While receiving the medication, the addicted individuals cannot be using opioids or severe sickness and death may occur.

A more common medication is buprenorphine, an opioid partial agonist. The medication can produce opioid effects but the effects are less than a full opioid agonist such as heroin. Buprenorphine binds to opioid receptors in the brain and blocks the effects of other opioids that may be present in the bloodstream. Low doses allow addicts to stop misusing opioids without having withdrawal symptoms. If dosing is not heavily monitored, it can be easily abused.

Suboxone is one of the prescription formulas with buprenorphine and naloxone, medication used in Narcan. The daily medication is a digestible film that is dissolved under the tongue.

“We have patients who have been on it for years that say they don’t expect to ever get off this,” said Cheryle McCann, RN at GCASA. “As long as they have a prescriber who can take over for us, we don’t have a problem with that. It’s like someone who is on blood pressure medicine.”

However, finding a doctor who is willing to take a patient with a history of opioid dependence is difficult. There are currently three prescribers in the county.

“The biggest problem I see in our county right now is there are not many doctors in our community that will prescribe buprenorphine,” McCann said. “The DEA regulate buprenorphine more stringently than they regulate the prescribing of opioids. An opioid can be prescribed by a physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant and dentist. But buprenorphine can only be prescribed by a physician.”

According to Bennett, about 35 percent of their patients struggle with Suboxone so they offer Vivitrol as another option. In the future, he would like to get the treatment facility licensed to be a methadone clinic.

“Medicated assisted treatments are misunderstood by communities,” Bennett said. “Law enforcement and judges don’t always believe patients are clean while on the treatments. We need to look at opiate patients like heart or diabetic patients and support their treatment. Patients with addiction have better compliance with medication than patients with other diseases.”

(Cheryle McCann and John Bennett of GCASA sit on the bench where patients receive their monthly Vivitrol shots.)

In addition to the medicated assisted treatment, countless meetings, counseling, advice from other recovering addicts and faith in God taught Brown how to live day to day and helped her set a good foundation.

“At the end of the day I’m still a recovering addict and one drug away from being high,” Brown said. “Any day clean is a miracle.”

Once Brown completed the 28-day rehab program, she went to Horizon Village, a long-term residential rehab center, for three months. From there she moved into Casa De Vita, a halfway house, and made friends who she could call on all hours of the day and night. This was the first time she realized her friends genuinely cared about her wellbeing. Her mom also started attending Nar-Anon, a support group for families struggling with addiction in Batavia, to learn how she could support her daughter’s recovery.

Miller and Donna Rose, a mother whose son is addicted to heroin, will be hosting a heroin town hall meeting for parents of addicts at 6:30 p.m. May 17 at  Genesee Community College. The meeting will focus on treatment costs and denial of insurance for recovering addicts.

“I learned nothing I do will cure her disease but I can choose for myself to stay healthy, supportive and loving,” Miller said. “Everyday I’m thankful that Jenna is alive and I try to learn something that will prevent someone else from using. We need more heroin awareness. People need to start understanding the disease instead of judging it.”

Support from family and friends has also been important for London’s recovery.

After completing a 28-day inpatient treatment program at Hope Haven and several months at Atwater, GCASA’s halfway house, London has been clean for seven months. He currently goes to meetings at Horizon Health Services once a week. His pregnant wife and circle of friends he met while in recovery have been significant motivators for him to not relapse.

“I want to be there for my daughter and not have to see her on a visiting floor in jail,” London said. “I don’t want her to see me under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”

​(Andrew London, a recovering alcoholic and opioid addict, has been clean for seven months.)

Brown is looking to the future, too. She recently moved in with her sponsor and is applying for full-time jobs – and looking for an apartment.

“I’m able to look people in the eyes today and be at peace with things that happened in my life,” Brown said. “The greatest thing today is I don’t want to get high and that gives me a feeling of gratitude because I thought that was how to make friends. Now I can love myself and take my flaws as they come.”