BOISE, Idaho — Now six years sober, Pebbles Willis helps others reclaim their lives.
“I had a drug and alcohol counselor that did everything by the book, he never had life experience,” she said. “So, it was really hard to connect with that person.”
Willis uses her life experiences through her work as a peer outreach specialist for Ideal Option – an organization helping fight the opioid pandemic.
As the only peer mentor in Idaho, Willis said she primarily helps people in Boise struggling with addiction. Her job centers around connecting people with the correct resources, like inpatient and outpatient care or helping them get on Medicaid.
Just last week, Willis said she spent six hours helping someone get into a detox center.
She spends about three days each week tabling around the community, often at local non-profits like Corpus Christi or CATCH. Willis frequently hands Narcan out to those in need.
Getting people into treatment is the end goal, she said.
“If they're willing and if they're ready to get their life change, then I go ahead and get an appointment set up for them,” she said. “We have no wait time. So, they get in pretty quick. “
The need in Idaho is only getting larger. Right now, only about 10% of people in Idaho struggling with addiction are in treatment, said Kimberly Hill, Ideal Option community outreach manager.
Data from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare shows that 44% of overdose deaths in 2021 involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl. That is more than double the amount from 2020 and is a 32% increase from 2019.
Increasing opioid addiction is an issue spanning the entire country. Between 2015 and 2021, the total number of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. doubled from just under 50,000 per year to almost 100,000 per year, according to IDHW.
“It is more than just a substance use disorder,” Hill said. “We're seeing where these people need help with housing, they need help with transportation, they need help with food or mental health. So, working together as community members is a huge piece of the puzzle.”
Hill said Idahoans in rural areas struggling with addiction are less likely to receive help. They are currently hiring a community health nurse and medical assistant for a mobile health unit.
The unit will launch in December and travel around the Rexburg area. Hill said they would also like to hire more peer outreach specialists like Willis.
She said they would love to have a peer outreach specialist in every Idaho community.
“They’re … meeting the people where they are,” Hill said. “So, Pebbles may encounter somebody that is not ready for treatment, but when they are ready, they know they can reach out to her and get the resources that they need.”
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