Beverly Calender-Anderson, left, director of community and family resources for the City of Bloomington, and Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton listenas Bloomington Police Department Chief Mike Diekhoff speaks Thursday during a news conference at the Monroe County Public Library in Bloomington. In the wake of a wave of drug overdoses, Diekhoff described the constantly changing chemical makeup of synthetic marijuana, known as Spice, and how legislators can’t keep up with banning the substances. Staff photo by Jeremy Hogan
Drug epidemics. Increased numbers of overdoses. Encampments in tree plots and along sidewalks. Homelessness. A lack of affordable housing. Economic disparities. Strained mental health systems. The uncertain future of health care. The drinking, drugging and fighting in city parks. Bad behavior and criminal activity. Overstretched public safety officers and social service agencies.
The mayor and city officials addressed all of these issues Thursday afternoon and outlined next steps in the ongoing effort to make downtown Bloomington more safe, civil and just for all.
Officials also publicly acknowledged the city has seen an influx of people seeking services in Bloomington who have been sent here from counties and cities across the state.
“We are confronting a complex set of issues that challenge people in our community. Issues that have been brewing for years,” Mayor John Hamilton said during the news conference at the Monroe County Public Library auditorium.
“It’s no secret that over the past few weeks our community has had some very visible signs of the challenges that we face as we’ve seen a rash of overdoses … and activities on our streets and in our parks that have challenged our community,” he said.
The mayor will meet with Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Monday to discuss these issues and actions to help address them, including the opioid treatment center the state plans to open in Bloomington by next summer. The proposed treatment center as announced Wednesday will be managed by Limestone Health, which provides addiction and mental health inpatient and outpatient services including hospitalization, therapy and medication-assisted treatment with prescription medications such as methadone and Suboxone.
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