The nose dose opioid crisis Unplugged is a concise and insightful podcast

Angel Lash: CASAT Podcast Network.

Bianca McCall: Welcome to the NOCE Dose: Opioid Crisis Unplugged. The NOCE dose opioid crisis Unplugged is a concise and insightful podcast offering a deeper dive into the realities faced by professionals combating the opioid epidemic. Join us as we reconnect with expert panelists from our listening sessions, providing a behind the scenes look at their work and insights into the pressing issues of prevention and diversion, harm reduction, opioid use, treatment recovery, and reoccurrence prevention. Welcome to the NOCE Dose, brought to you by the Nevada Opioid Center of Excellence. I'm, your host with the NOCE, Bianca D. McCall. And we're going behind the front lines with peer professionals and community members alike to support the opioid response programming in Nevada state. To debrief after the no sponsored listening session event of the quarter, people are still buzzing about it and looking forward to continuing the conversation with our subject matter experts. Our panelists, unplugged. Today's special guest is Angel Lash. Angela, welcome to the NOCE Dose podcast. Thank you for joining us.

Angel Lash: Absolutely. Thank you for having me. this is going to be exciting. so, a little bit about me again, angel ash. And, I am a mental health professional who works in the justice system. How fun is that? and specifically, coordinating a program, that partners with Metropolitan police department here in Las Vegas. And my, I guess, umbrella that I'm under is the 8th district court, here in Nevada. And, I get to merge some of my experience working both as a direct practitioner, with substance misusing clients, also with clients experiencing mental health issues. And I get to use that skill set to build m a program that helps individuals who are experiencing, a homelessness issue. They have a substance misuse issue, and they may be experiencing some type of mental health crisis and, building a plan to help them, actually stay out of the justice system and, of course, address those issues, and hopefully just be, a whole lot better than how we found them. And I'm excited to get a chance to do that. And along the way, I get to partner and connect with the amazing people in our community who have the same heart around this mission.

Bianca McCall: I love that.


Angel lashed: I'm doing well overall. So I'm excited to talk about Lima today

So, your program, Lima, like I said before, created a lot of buzz amongst the community and participants that came to our listening session. for a lot of them, it was the first time that they heard about this program, and they were so excited to hear that there is something of the kind, that diverts people from justice system, and gets them directly linked with, the treatment and the care that, they need. So I'm excited to get into the conversation today and to learn more about Lima, because that's what the people are asking for. We want to know more. We want to know more. We want to know, who is angel lash, right. And so, contrary, to what you may think, right. Coming into this podcast to talk about Lima, to talk about the incredible work that you do, contrary to what you may think about the beginnings of this discussion, I want to start with, how the heck are you, angel, and how are you doing, really? Just as a person, angel lashed, how are you doing?

Angel Lash: Where am I now? I forgot. No, I'm, So I'm doing pretty well overall. I mean, we do well. I do work in a space where there is a lot of things tugging at my attention all day. there's a lot of heart that's needed. I believe in the work that we get to do, but that's what make it really move. and so I feel like it definitely is important for me to be, you know, ready and equipped, for the day. But ultimately, I kind of knew that this time of year was going to be busy, and it was just the season that I was going to be in. So I feel like, I'm doing fine, especially physically, sometimes mentally, there's some challenging days. But I'm really grateful for the support system that I have to help me, you know? Course correct. Reset. Take a break. Remind me. eat some food, drink some water. Hey, let's take a walk for a second. So, today is. It's pretty good outside of being a little bit nervous about, podcast. But, other than that, I'm doing well. I'm doing well now.

Bianca McCall: Thank you so much for sharing. You know, and the reason why I like to start off with that question is because we are all, you know, in circumstances and environments where, we can go through and we see somebody and we say, hey, how you doing? And then we're like, oh, my gosh, please say you're fine. Please say you're fine. So we can continue to walk by. Right. And. But to actually ask how you're doing and be ready to be an active listener and hear how somebody's doing, that's just such an important point of connection, right? And we need that, especially healthcare, behavioral healthcare, social service spaces. we all need those connections because, like you mentioned, there are good days and there are great days right? And there are days where you know, the physical body and the emotional, the mental bodies. And sometimes there's some clash going on, right. And sometimes you need that extra support. So happy. What resonated with me from what you said is having that support system, right.

Bianca McCall: Where there can be not only the support, but the accountability, right. To be able to say, hey, you know what, angel, you're not your usual wonderful, sunshiny angel, energy right now, what's going on and what can we do to be able to help get you back in that space? Although something tells me that you don't have too many of those days. I think that you're shining bright every day. Right.

Bianca McCall: And I think kind of the next line of questioning is how do you shine so bright? What motivates you to do this work every single day? That is a great, great question.

Angel Lash: And I Mean overall I feel like overall archinge of theme in my life. I do want to make a positive ripple effect in the world. Whatever that looks like, wherever I am. And it's really important for me to live a life of significance and contribution. And sometimes that looks like. Yes, the work I do for my nine to five other times, that looks like, I mean speaking to someone, like you said, really truly being ready to hear how they're doing. And that's at the gym, and that's at the coffee shop. And that's when I crossed the street. Because I'm in a hustle bustle town and I'm in downtown Las Vegas. So there's people crossing all the time and looking up and being just ready and available, To be kind in the world, right. And so I will say though I did not know I was going to work in the substance abuse field. That wasn't necessarily what I had set out to do. I did know early on I wanted to help people. I didn't really know what that was going to manifest into. I thought it was going to be film, Through documentary film. And I wanted to do documentary film. And I want to do music videos actually. I don't know if you guys heard of behind the music. That was aged myself. But mtvs have this behind music. And They would show the artists and then they had the Director's cut, if you will, of them putting together the music video. Anyways, watching that, I have better ideas and I have a way to tell the story. That was going to be a way that I thought I was impacting the world through that medium. And then fast forward. I, did get a film degree, actually, and did not really much use a camera ever. but I did find myself, in this pivotal time. And a coworker suggested I work in a school setting. She said I was pretty wise for my age at the time and that I might be able to impact youth. And I thought, well, I don't want to be limited to the school setting. And I just happen to be the word counseling because she said school counselor specifically.


I looked for counseling programs because I couldn't just jump into counseling

And at the time, I thought you had to be a psychologist, a psychiatrist to help in that realm. And I remember so many people told me, I'll become a social worker, which in retrospect today, I probably would have explored that lane. But in other words, I just looked for counseling programs because I did know that I couldn't take that film degree and just jump into counseling. I had to go back to school. And so, I explored a clinical mental health counseling program here locally. And when I finished that, I was placed at a nonprofit, that worked specifically with the most vulnerable community. And, there was a gentleman who, when I was there in only intern on a Friday afternoon, and the actual primary counselor said, hey, I need you to give this guy, these few bus passes when he shows up. I have a meeting off site, and I'm so proud. I have a task, and I'm gonna give this guy these bus passes. And I just remember in that moment, I, wish I could remember his name. But when he came to, to the office, I found out that he had lived under a bridge. he was, like, pending some housing program, and he was in the men's IOP program. And he walked every day to group, in Las Vegas in the summer. And he was super duper grateful. He was so grateful. I think he was coming up on 60 days sober, and he was going to get these bus passes so he could now have a ride to his groups versus walk. and he would, you would have thought I gave him a bar gold. And he was so grateful. He was in tears. He wanted to kiss my feet, literally. And I was like, oh, my gosh. Wow. I just remember thinking all the things that I was stressed about. All this stuff came into perspective in that moment. And I was like, I want to work with these people. These are about people. I want to work with the people. like this guy, right? I want to work with the people that most have counted out, that people have forgotten about. and I want to make an impact and show them they are valued, they matter and in turn, I learned so much about myself, about my value to working with people who were finding their light, if you will, like you that I have a light. And so that's changed everything. So initially, I went from film to actually, I wanted to work with student athletes. I was going to do the counseling so I could be athletic advisor. But that placement at that, at that establishment, and then that moment with that gentleman made me want to stay. And I have stayed with working with the most vulnerable in our community for over close to 15 years now. And that's how I became in this space. so, yeah, that's me working through counseling. I happen to, just, I guess, to continue that. I worked, like I said before, some direct practice work, in various settings. I worked with youth. I worked with, adult age and then older aged population. and I was able to kind of pivot where I came over from a nonprofit organization to working in the court systems, which that was a lot different on the criminal side. I worked with families in the past. And then this opportunity to start this partnership, with Lima, well, with the Metropolitan Police department and us, my agency to birth Lima, was super duper out of my comfort zone in the sense that it wasn't established already. I didn't know what that was gonna look like. I was really not wanting to move. I felt like I just got my footing and where I was doing. And here we go. And so that pivot allowed me to actually, you know, remind me of that experience with that gentleman way back when. And here I am every day get a chance to hopefully create that, recreate that experience for the people that we serve in lean program.

Bianca McCall: Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. We can just stop the podcast right now. that was an incredible journey that you took us on, angel.


I cannot move forward without revisiting behind the music. I, um, love that that's where the journey began

I cannot move forward without revisiting behind the music. Okay, first of all, behind the music was, was, yeah, that was an amazing, amazing platform, for content. I, love that that's where the journey began. and then I also love what this says about you, right. Is your willingness and your desire to dig, a little bit deeper. Right. We're not looking at face value for things. And so going from behind the music, right, and in the creative spaces, and entertainment spaces, now you're behind what we, see at face value as community. Right. And, as we're passing by, just like we opened up with the podcast, right, is we are masters, at being passer buyers, right, and asking questions and in remaining surface you know, with. With the environment around us. But, and that could be, Ah, easy, right? That could be almost like a protective factor for a lot of us to keep things surface. But for you, seeing that willingness and that desire to go beneath the surface, right, to do some investigation, and not only investigation, but to creatively bring a voice to all of the happenings going on behind the scenes in our communities and with communities and populations and groups that have historically not had a voice, right. and that's why you get kind of this response of, I want to kiss your feet. Like this is you've restored a sense of dignity, right, and restored a sense of purpose to people, because not too many people are willing to and desirous of going behind the scenes, of going, you know, into the streets of these communities where. Where people are. And people are, they're struggling, right, to access care, to access, you know, services and things like that. And so along those lines with you just divinely being kind of guided into this position of starting a program, you're saying that, that Lima, it wasn't something that was gift wrapped for you and packaged and just saying, hey, hey, angel, can you come lead this? But no, angel, can you come create this? Can you come build this and build a bridge between, these community services, these human services and the justice system, right? And for a lot of us in this space, we know, all the gaps and things, that are in between those systems. So this is an incredible, task that you've been, humbled and honored to work through. Right? Coming from the desire to just want to help and get into the counseling space. So can you tell me, fast forward to the listening session where we're talking about diversion and prevention of substance use disorder, prevention of opioid, you know, opioid overdose. Right. We're talking directly to opioid response teams and things, and. And in the face of just this great beast, like we talked about, that that's going on behind the scenes, from the listening session, what. What stuck out to you? What, what, you know, just kind of, like, stood right in your face where you were like, oh, my gosh, this is. This is it. This is the direction we need to go.

Angel Lash: I mean, there. There was so, so much. It was. I. It's hard to really pinpoint, you know, specifically, because it was. Each panelist had, such value to add to the, conversation, and, was so grateful and honored, as, you know, to be even in company, with the panelists and what was happening in their respective areas. But I really do, I did. I really did enjoy what Christina Boyd was saying in regards to. I believe it's Kansas, Kansas City, what's happening and their. Their ability to create that entire like network with all the layers of Interdisciplinary teams, From each aspect of us as beings to communicate and to collaborate and to really be present In how to support each other's And their respective fields to serve the population that they were working with. I was really blown away by that. because, you know, there are silos that exist and people are very protective of their field or their work in that. With that client or in that space. And so to hear that they've been able to do that and they're gonna duplicate those efforts. I really am looking forward to connecting with her more about how they were able to establish that and what that looks like. Because at the end of the day, we're gonna save a life. We all needed to do that. So that one really stuck out. But Again, not to discredit anything else. I don't an expert discover discussion like that. Washington. It was a lot, but I just was thinking about. Because with lama program, And not just that program but just in general working with a lot of vulnerable clientele, it takes so many pieces, so many layers, to peel back. And then when you find out what is the need there, you have to be able to find a resource, And that's not always so easy to do. And Again, with people having silos and these protective factors or whatever it is, it can be challenging. Even as a professional who feels like they have a lot of connections, links. And I'm still like, what? The door is getting shut or this person not willing to hear this perspective about what they could do to contribute and that, And I feel like I'm pretty decent at communicating. I think, I think that I have a little bit of credibility with maybe a position or the agencies I'm connected to. And still, There's been times that I'm like, man, if this has happened to me, I wonder what this client must be going through to try to get moved, to try to understand, The system or the. How many doors have been shut before they even reached me. And And so anyways, that one. That's why that's so important to me. And we all are needed in this space. And so, yeah, that would be. Yeah.


Angel: There are layers to serving the chronically unhoused population

What stuck out.

Bianca McCall: Yeah. No. What's kind of jumping out at me. From what you said, you talked about interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary teams, utilization, of team, members that are representing different aspects of the continuum of care, right? And then you, then something else you said was connection, right? So there's communication, there's connection, there's, responsibility, accountability from multiple points of the continuum of care. you also mentioned just the, meeting, the needs with compassion and with empathy is what you're describing, right? Seeing, hey, if I'm going through this, I wonder what the experience of people that are engaging the system. I wonder what that's like. so there's empathy, there's compassion, there's connectivity. There's communication. we're operating out of silos. All the things, right? This is what it sounds like jumped out to you. And these are certainly things that we can kind of put on a list of. This is how we serve these communities. In addition to those things, angel, what do you think are ways that we can better, serve and best serve? Right. Best practices, best serve chronically unhoused and the chronically unhoused population with. With substance use and mental health needs.

Angel Lash: Which that's about well, but I love that you highlighted the connection, empathy. those are really important, to me personally and, to the program and how we make it work, breaking those stigmas as well and breaking silos. So we are big on behind the scenes, really incorporating that. And so the stigma that comes along with serving the, the chronically unhoused population, there is so many layers. and also for us, the stigma that comes with the agencies you represent, the trust or the distrust that's there, you're really going to help the last time, or, people in uniform or people dressed in certain attire, you're, not willing to really serve me. So breaking through that, definitely it takes some internal work. I, do believe you're going to work with some really vulnerable people. You have to be internally equipped and you have to maybe figure out what that looks like. So when you talk about, you know, empathy and compassion, you know, self care and whatever that is, why are you doing it too? Like, your motives, you have to, I believe that is a piece, individually, we can, we can take ownership of when we working with this population and when it's time to go, when it's time to leave that space or work with a different set of clientele. It's important to recognize that, but as, I guess, the continuum, just from this is not speaking on behalf of my agencies or specifically the program. These are angels thoughts and opinions. do want to preface that, but seeing that there are layers, there are folks who are younger who experience this chronic illness issue that needs different things, like Lima's, 18 to, well, whenever, across the lifespan. But I know that from 18 to 20, let's even say 27, 28, what that experience looks like, the level of engagement, the needs that they have, the relatability, if you are going to find a housing placement for them, and you just put them with a bunch of older adults that have different needs, not always feeling so welcoming, so safe. there are people with different abilities, and by that, I mean disabilities abilities. we have people who are in their senior age who are having mobility challenges, that might need a different structure. we have people with different cognitive abilities who the material might not process the same. I, mean, you assume that they may be, I guess, resistance to whatever services you're offering. They may not understand what youre try to communicate. and if we didn't ask questions or recognize certain, I guess, body language that we could pick up on. And, I have an example of that, actually, with working with an individual who came into our program a couple months ago. And so she get, she gave me back this paperwork that was very there, and what she completed, and, we were so I was like, okay, I'm gonna walk through. I always walk through it with them anyway. But as, I gave her something else to sign, I noticed the pause. she had the pin there. She was kind of looking, and I was asking some questions, and then I said, I don't know if she can m be what's on this paper. I don't know. That came to mind. Now, that's not always the first, I guess, assumption. but I had the courage to ask her. I was like, are you? I said, is that, like, too many? That's a lot of words. I know. Like, did you understand what that. What they were asking for? And she was like, she was willing to say no. you have some challenges with reading and writing. Is that like, a challenge? Because I can even tell with the way that she, the few things she did write out, just, you know, and, right there. Like, it wasn't that she didn't want to do it, that she wasn't willing, she wasn't ready. She was probably really embarrassed to say that, as I think she is in her fifties, and she is not really good at reading or writing at this point in her life and how that might feel to. Or the judgment or whatever it might come with that. So, needless to say in that I'm, Okay, no problem here. I was gonna write. I was gonna write some of this information down anyway. We can do this together. And just not making it miss a beat. Not going into too much about it. Not trying to focus now too well. What reading level did you stop? Like, just letting her. Meeting her where she is. Right. And so someone, else might have assumed that, well, if you can't fill out paperwork, then you don't want the program, you know, or whatever. And that's sometimes our go to for various reasons. You hear a lot of things from people. And in, the space working with individuals who are experiencing substance abuse issues, they are on a spectrum of their motivational levels. Some people are just not ready. They're pretty contemplative. This sounds good, maybe, or they just want housing and not necessarily be treated in that way. Whatever. Some people are actually ready. They have just not found the right leakage to care. so they don't really know what next steps to take. And some people move through on that continuum. They're ready, then they're not because they don't like the placement or whatever happened or change is just difficult. And so I would say that when you work with the chronically homeless, those are things to consider. there are layers of things going on, and there are probably services for some of them who have maybe not followed through on things they've said in the past. So there's that. There's that again, the distrust of. Distrust for certain systems. there might be the ableism, that they are experiencing, and let's see, when it comes to severe mental illness too, in my experience, again, back to my opinions and everything, just me, there are not a lot of resources here locally, that I feel that I have access to.


With chronically homeless population, symptoms outweigh substance misuse challenges

For someone who has a severe mental illness, they're going to treat the severe mental illness along with having a best treatment for their substance misuse issue. But if they're like neck and neck, or maybe the severe mental illness, those symptoms outweigh their substance misuse challenges over there. I don't know where I can have that supported solely. and that becomes difficult with the chronically homeless population. from my experience and my opinion, there needs to be more available there. And then as far as even the housing, options that I've seen work better is a communal living with true supportive housing tools and supportive housing personnel. Meaning that not everyone knows what a clean kitchen looks like. They're clean, is out your clean, and that might create some health hazards. So help them understand that. Help them, not putting the sole responsibility. If you've been living, in an unhealth situation for a long time and I have a whole responsibility of your own unit to take care of, you may not know, how to do that. Maybe it's been a long time. Maybe it's been ever. And so having someone to share the load, also, isolation happens. You feel like you can't go back out in the world, or we've had people just abandon ship completely. They just. There's used to a certain way, or sleeping on the floor, in their unit, because they've been used to sleeping on the ground and it's uncomfortable in a bed right now. Give them some time. That's where those true supportive housing supports are important. Help them, educate them, be patient, and assess. Maybe they're just not ready for that right now. Maybe where they are, they're looking for, you know, maybe some bus passes, maybe a few hydra gene products, but maybe not, what we're trying to give them. So there are lots of layers to work with. A crime, at least. but those are just some of the things I think, I would like to highlight that people should really take into consideration.

Bianca McCall: Yeah, no, I think that everything. What you said, is just so important, right. To understand the foundational concepts, that you. That you brought up first. Communication, compassion, empathy, and things like that. Kind of setting the table or setting the stage so that you can meet people where they are. Right. And it sounds like there's a lot of assessment and reassessment that goes on throughout this interaction or this engagement, because you need to see where they are. Right. And understand that that may shift or that may change depending, upon the different challenges that come up just in seeking help. Right. Things like you said, reading and writing and understanding, all of the paperwork and the hoops that they may have to jump through. Although with chronically unhoused populations, we try to get to, hey, let's take care of those basic needs. Housing first, those basic needs on the Maslow's hierarchy. before we can actually do the work, we have to meet and understand where people are. And to me, that takes a bit of cultural sensitivity. It takes cultural humility and culture. We're talking about culture, not just race and ethnicity, but looking at the culture, the economic culture. And what are some of the challenges that chronically unhoused, experience. Just, From an economic standpoint, just from a standpoint of. Of, being unhoused. The circumstances that led them to that place right where they are. And then also, what is their experience socially? what is their. You know, when we talk about culture, there's so many different factors that lend to their very unique experience.


Rob: Representation matters. Right? So we recognize that representation does matter

so you brought that up, and I kind of like to take the conversation in that direction, if we can. talking about cultural diversity, right? How does that fit into your programming, you know, for prevention or for diversion? how does cultural diversity fit into that conversation?

Angel Lash: Well, I also have learned more, which is some great, great points, rob. There's so many levels to this and so many layers to unpack, but, representation, right? Like I did not once, I guess I hear that you go to trainings, you're in spaces. Representation matters. Representation matters. And, there has been times that, you know, recognizing that. That. That mirror, right? Who. Who they see that. That are offering the services, who's available in those spaces. And me being a yemenite one man of color, I'm African American. That's how I identify. I am, sometimes to some younger looking, so whatever that means, but sometimes that's a good thing. They feel like it's a. I don't know. I may have more to offer. I'm not too seasoned and ready to retire or whatever that looks like, and that creates energy. But other times, maybe they don't think I have enough experience and they're not really sure. But the good, I think that just being able to show up as I am and authentically be me, that has created a lot of synergy where whatever other judgments they thought they might have had or whatever that might have come with, it's lessened because I'm just going to be there for them. but then also a team of people that will. I'm, a female. That's how I identify. And then we have two males, a part of our trio, if you will, have two officers. They also wear, plain clothing versus their uniforms to see if that might change how the response is when they show up. They oftentimes do not have their guns with them, or at least not in a visible space where that might matter. Their, one identifies as hispanic male, the other one mixture. But mostly talk about being from Brazil, and he was born in a different country, so that part kind of also can start conversations. so maybe if you or family's not from the United States of America and that's where you are now. That might create some barriers or that might create a connection, because he can talk about his experience. Right? So we recognize that representation does matter. but then with the population that we service, I always go to trainings to be more, as best I can, language that changes, learning more about cultures that I'm not so familiar with. So we won't be the ones creating the barrier because we didn't maybe even introduce ourselves appropriately or, make certain jokes about something that might just really be too sensitive. and just being aware. Right. Cause we do have individuals that we are working with all walks of life, and not just the ones that we are working with and serving them, but the people we are linking them to. Just being aware of, how the agencies operate or who's the representation there, or linking them to other individuals that might have some experience in the areas, whether that be peer support or female, to female, or if they prefer working with a male. Things like that. That matter to both parties. Just being able to ask those questions, being open to those considerations, I think is important because we are such an eclectic group. and even here in our community, such a transient, which has become a little less transient. People are coming and staying, and so they're planning their plaques here. But their heritage come from different parts of the US or outside of the US. And all those things, I just believe, creates more trust and compassion, more conversation. if we are not aware of any of the things that they may be going through, we can be intrigued about it. We can be inquisitive and let them tell the story, not us. Make assumptions about what they are looking for, what they need, what's comfortable for them. And again, working with a vulnerable population, especially the chronically homeless, oftentimes, people are always telling them what they need and what they do and how they are. They have told their story 50 times before they came to us. That could be traumatic. So letting them share what their comfort levels are is important. Getting to know whatever they feel is culturally, relevant to them, not us. Assuming, I think that is huge when, we're working with such an eclectic group of people.

Bianca McCall: I love that. I love that. Allowing them to, self identify and communicate, communicate their culture, communicate their pain stories for a lot of them, be able to, co create a safe space for them to share that with us. Instead of, sometimes as professionals, we can get into, that regimen of. Okay, we've got 15 minutes to get through screening and assessment and pass along the responsibility pass along the client throughout the continuum, but sometimes just taking the time, to get to know that person and allowing them to share their story, rather than us tell them what their story is and what's going to happen from here. Right. and I love what you said about representation, so that people can see themselves, their culture reflected in, the service providers and the milieu that's being provided. I think that for those, professionals that are listening to the session, listening to the listening session as well as the podcast, for some of us, we feel like we would like to have, ideally, a diverse staff and representation, but we simply don't, just because of our geographical location or demographics, that they're not able to achieve kind of the level of diversity that, is necessary. And so in those cases, having peer, ah, support programming and other things, to be able to reflect or to achieve that representation like you're talking about, I think, is so important. And the great thing is that if you are on this platform and listening to the NOCE Dose podcast, and if you are on the platform listening to, engaging, in the listening sessions, then you are likely, familiar with Cassat, the Cassat department of programming and CASAT Learning, which hosts a bunch of trainings and things like that, to continue these conversations, to teach paraprofessionals, how to, implement peer support programming, how to identify what maybe our implicit biases are, things that are preventing us from meeting people where they are, how to work with special populations, like you talked about here today, angel, with chronically unhoused, experiencing substance use challenges, as well as, mental health challenges. All of these things, we have training for that, right? And then with the newly minted, Nevada opioid Center of excellence, we do also have technical assistance, available to, paraprofessionals, to, community members that want more information, that want more training on how to achieve the outcomes like we've talked about today.


How do professionals in the prevention and diversion spaces connect with you

so now that I've kind of given that shameless plug to all of the, services and supports that we have available through cassatt programming and through NOCE, the Nevada opioid Center of excellence, I'd also like to give you an opportunity, angel, to talk about the, lima programming and you as just an individual with your own thoughts and ideas about how to change the world right for the better. How do professionals in the prevention and diversion spaces connect with you? And what, and when can they call you? What can they call you about? And when can they call, you and contact you?

Angel Lash: All right, we can plug some things. so, thank you. Cassette. Cassette's awesome. Help me keep my licenses. Thank you for all the variations of trainings you offer and options there. but. So, for me, angel ash, my direct contact, is a 702-671-3866 that's my office number. my email address is a little long, but I can give that out anyway. For those who do want to follow up via email, it's lash. Lash. And then a. So, technically, lasha, at Clark county courts. Courts is plural, so that's s of the n. Us. Those are two ways I am on LinkedIn. for personal, just use angel Lash. That's my LinkedIn. You can find me there. sort of use Facebook and Instagram a little bit. I'm getting better with the digital space. Bianca and I are good friends outside of this work, and we talk about that. I'm catching up a little bit. but if you want to reach out to me, because this is personally, it's lash 313 on my Instagram. A lot of what I share is most about community, and things happen in community and different ways to get, involved. And then, I'm angel ash on Facebook. I do still use Facebook, everyone. And I don't have Twitter. So those are some ways to connect with me, directly. And, just as in regards to, you know, the impact on the world and how to make a difference, one thing I always try to remind even my colleagues, because working within the justice system and various levels that we do, we are trusted, right? And we have a responsibility as trusted, servers, to take the extra steps that's necessary behind closed doors. And before we even do that, we need to believe and have hope. I believe that that is one necessary component. If you have lost hope and you don't believe in what we're doing here or what you're doing out there, then I think you need to kind of, be open and vulnerable to take a look at that with some trusted people, because, that is when you're working with humans. Okay. Like, I, know if you just maybe wipe a table or the floor, the table, have some feelings. But when you work with humans, whether you're in a leadership role, you're not in behavioral health at all, but any capacity work with you. Like, you need to believe. You need to have hope and belief in what you guys are doing. and if that is lost, I mean, really go check that. Right? And what kind of keeps me as a guy, like, are my values. Right. And identifying your values, what are they? If you don't know? Again, find a trusted source. Even if it's just a supervisor that you have, that if you can create space there, sometimes for me it is. There are strangers that I can connect with. But having conversation around, what do you value? Like, what are. What is motivating you to be in this space, whatever that space is. And if it's you lost hope, you lost that compassion or desire, it's okay to pivot and change. Right. And so I do believe, again, that we have responsibility to do that behind closed doors. No one's watching. No one's looking to have that, integrity about what's happening when you work with humans. and be willing to clean it up if there's something shaky there, and then it's on you after, you do that exploration and you find out, like, man, actually, I wasn't living in my values in that space. I was opposite. Right. It's okay. I think that right there, that's what the world needs more of. And, whether you work with chronically homeless house people, executive people, corporate people, stranger people, whatever, I believe those things will make the world a better place. I, believe we can do more of that and increase that and start today. Start right now. it's little things, you know? If you can just wait a few more seconds and hold the door for the next person, even if they don't say thank you. Right. Just do that. You know what I mean? Put the buggy back in the respective spot. Don't leave it for the next car hit. Right. Like it's the little things like that. and you see, you never know who's watching. And those little things, more and more of that is gonna make it just a better place for all of us. That's my two cent.

Bianca McCall: Thank you for that valuable two cent. And, you know, you're speaking with a person, of the community when, they give you all these landmarks, right.


Angel Ash: One planet foot is deeply rooted in values what are our values

We heard, about the gym, we heard about the coffee shop. We heard about the buggies at the shopping centers.

Angel Lash: Right.

Bianca McCall: and we heard the word of, post pandemic. Right, which is pivot. Right. We all understand pivot. And for me, being a retired basketball player, pivot for me, I'm thinking about 1ft planted, right? And the other foot is going in different directions, adjusting to wherever you see the challenge from the defense coming from, right. But that one planet foot. From what? Let angel lash tell you that one planet foot is deeply rooted in values what are our values, right? And how do we nurture, ourselves? And what's that self care look like? So that we can clearly see, right in the midst of all the chaos, all the challenges we can clearly refer back to, what are our values, right? And if we're coming from a humanistic perspective, right, it's care for one another. Right? Care for each other as we would want to be. Care for, compassion, empathy. All the sauce, right? All the secret sauce that you shared today. Thank you so much, for joining us on the, on the NOCE Dose podcast and giving us this behind the scenes look behind the music, behind the community, look at what's going on in our opioid response, systems. Angel. One, thing, too, that's going to stick out with me is getting in touch with you. It, sounds like virtually is the best way to go, because you're always out in the community at, different events and things like that. so getting in touch virtually. And when you said your email address, I'm looking at the boxes on the screen, because you know how virtual podcasts go, and I'm thinking Brady bunch. So I'm thinking lasha, lasha, lasha. You know, so, so excited to continue the conversations, to connect with you. I encourage anybody who has not had the pleasure, the absolute pleasure of getting to know angel ash, to reach out and continue, this conversation. So, thank you so much. I'm going to, thank everybody for listening.


This podcast features an interview with angel lash about working with vulnerable populations

today was an incredible podcast session with, with angel lash. We. We heard, a lot of great things today, and specifically working with vulnerable populations and what it takes to achieve the best outcomes. And what I love about this is that these are all things that within our locus of control, right, as individuals, as professionals, paraprofessionals, as peers, as community members. It starts with self, right? We have to know where we are so that we can meet people where they are, right? And so I love that, that you didn't come in here, telling us all these pipe dreams and all these things that are unrealistic. and this certainly gives us hope when I know that I can wake up every morning, and give a little compassion, have a little faith in our systems, in the, bridges that are being formed, by professionals like you, that gives me a little hope, and I hope that it does the same for everybody listening. Thanks again for tuning in, and we will see you next time on the nostos. Thank you for listening to the nostos. The opioid epidemic. Unplugged we hope that you found this episode compelling and informative, and we ask that you please share this episode with your friends and your colleagues. Colleagues and if you want to learn more, please visit our website@nvopioidcoe.org dot the NOCE Dose podcast is brought to you by the Nevada Opioid Center of Excellence, or NOCE. NOCE is dedicated to developing and sharing evidence informed training and offering technical assistance to professionals and community members alike. Now, whether you are a care provider or I a concerned community member, NOCE provides resources to support those affected by opioid use. Funding for this activity was made possible in whole or in part by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services DHHS Directors office through the Fund for Resilient Nevada.

Angel Lash: CASAT Podcast Network this podcast has been brought to you by the CASAT Podcast Network, located within the Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies, a part of the School of Public.

Bianca McCall: Health at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Angel Lash: For more podcast information and resources, visit cassatt.org.