The Elmwood Place WeTHRIVE!℠ team has a passion for harm reduction. In less than a year, they’ve taken action to address drug overdoses and substance use disorder in their community with compassion and understanding. Read on to see how their efforts evolved as they work to reduce the stigma and empower residents to look out for one another.
First, what is harm reduction?
We all experience harm reduction every day. We fasten our seatbelts, buckle our children into car seats, and wear bike helmets, along with a host of other measures that keep us safe and healthy.
The Elmwood Place team is concerned about a specific area of harm reduction that aims to reduce health and safety issues related to drug use and substance use disorder. To do this work, they’re collaborating with the harm reduction program at Hamilton County Public Health (HCPH), the Elmwood Place police and fire departments, area businesses, and residents.
Why harm reduction?
Sheila Dornbusch is a WeTHRIVE! team member and office manager for the Village of Elmwood Place. “We’ve seen a lot in our neighborhood over the years,” Sheila said. “I grew up here. I’ve seen how addiction has come through and taken hold of lot of people throughout a lot of generations. I have lost several friends from overdoses, so it just hits me a certain way.”
The rest of Elmwood’s WeTHRIVE! team shared Sheila’s desire to focus on harm reduction. So Karen Schwamberger, WeTHRIVE!’s outreach contractor who works with Elmwood Place, connected the team to Hannah Schilling, community outreach coordinator for the harm reduction program at HCPH.
Hannah met with the team. “We spent some time talking about what harm reduction is and addressing some of the misconceptions around it,” she said. “We also talked about how we could tailor initiatives to meet the community’s needs.”
And Hannah provided data that really caught the team’s attention.
Unintentional overdose is the leading cause of injury death in Ohio
In Hamilton County, more than 80% of overdose deaths involve fentanyl, and nearly one in five involve both fentanyl and cocaine, Hannah told the team. “Many of those at highest risk aren’t people with opioid use disorder,” she added. “They’re casual or recreational users unaware that fentanyl has entered the non-opioid drug supply.”
Moved to take action
Sheila started working with Hannah to promote HCPH’s Test Before You Take program, which involves putting fentanyl testing strips in area businesses, such as bars.
“While you’re not going to stop people from doing what they want to do, you want them to be safe,” Sheila said. “They may think they’re going to smoke marijuana, not knowing it’s laced with fentanyl. Or…they take a Percocet, not knowing it’s laced with it. The testing strips may save them.”
WeTHRIVE! team member and Elmwood Place councilmember Dan Snelling was also struck by the information Hannah presented. He started working with her to plan a modern first aid training session focused on harm reduction – actions that everyday residents can take to help those in need.
With support from the rest of the Elmwood Place WeTHRIVE! team, these two initiatives are now bringing harm reduction tools into the community.
A bar owner who cares about the community
Sheila’s first action was speaking with Kelvin Huseman (left, with wife Paula), owner of Our Pub in Elmwood Place. He agreed to meet with Hannah to learn more about the Test Before You Take program.
Like Sheila, Kelvin says he’s seen the toll that addiction takes on the community. He and Paula also had an experience where they called 911 about someone who was in distress near their bar. “If we had not gotten involved then, she would have died,” he said.
While Kelvin doesn’t live in Elmwood Place, he feels connected to the community that has supported his business for 30 years. When approached by Hannah and Sheila, he was open to putting a kiosk with fentanyl testing strips in Our Pub.
“Was I a little iffy about how my customers would take it? Yes, but we’ve had no complaints at all,” Kelvin said. At first, his customers were curious. “They asked about what we were trying to do, what our goal was. I told them, I know that nobody’s going to quit until they’re ready to quit. This is a prophylactic, not a cure. But if it just saves one life, it’s worth it.”
Kelvin said having the testing strip kits in his bar has brought the topic to the surface and “now everyone is more aware.” Within a month or two, he talked about the issue with the owner of another bar in Elmwood Place, who agreed to meet with Hannah. The Stumble Inn is now part of the Test Before You Take initiative.
Modern first aid
Meanwhile, Dan and Hannah planned the modern first aid class for the evening of December 3, 2025. It was a bitterly cold night, yet 18 people came out to the Elmwood Place Town Hall for the session. Residents and first responders learned that harm reduction is just like any other type of first aid – it’s immediate, short-term help that reduces harm during a health emergency.
For example, the first aid kit you may have in your home or workplace contains things like bandages, antiseptic, and pain relievers. The modern first aid kit is filled with other kinds of items that can help reduce harm from overdoses or substance use disorder, including:
- Narcan® (or naloxone, the generic form): a nasal spray that reverses an opioid overdose quickly
- Fentanyl testing strips: easy-to-use tools that detect the presence of fentanyl in drugs
- Deterra bag: a pouch used to properly dispose of unused or expired medication
- Quick Reference Guide: a directory of essential services, from where to find food and shelter to how to get treatment
Attendees left the session with all of the tools listed above, ready to support their neighbors.
The main message: Lead with compassion. Show care and respect to people who use drugs or are in recovery, because everyone deserves safety, dignity, and connection.
Elmwood Place is taking ownership
A community assuming responsibility for harm reduction is exactly what Hannah likes to see. “It’s gaining a lot of traction and it’s starting to feel owned by the community, not owned by public health.”
Sheila agreed: “This is something we have really taken on here and the business owners are really participating and partnering up with us. It’s a positive thing for us to do for the community.”
Hannah said Elmwood’s story shows what happens when compassion meets action. “One conversation led to one kiosk, and now two community bars are helping to change the narrative around substance use in their village.” She added, “Elmwood’s leadership truly shows what’s possible when a community chooses connection, compassion, and care over stigma.”
If your community or organization is interested in learning more about harm reduction and Test Before You Take, contact Hannah Schilling (hannah.schilling@hamiltoncountyohio.gov) at HCPH.
Get involved with WeTHRIVE! in Elmwood Place! Contact Karen Schwamberger at hcph.outreach@hamilton-co.org or 513-946-7800.