Join me in providing treatment and recovery support for substance use and addiction.

Hello fellow Buckeyes! My name is Jaden Zelidon and I am in my 4th year studying Neuroscience, Global Public Health, and Substance Misuse and Addiction here at The Ohio State University. Throughout high school, I developed an interest in the healthcare field and started working at my local drugstore as a pharmacy technician to further explore this curiosity. For three years, I counted thousands of pills, talked and consulted with patients about their health needs, worked with physicians and insurance companies on countless prescription orders, and delivered vaccinations, specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic. I got to know many of our patients and soon started to hear about their experiences with their prescriptions and misuse. My community had high rates of misuse and overdoses, and when I found out that Franklin County did too - I knew I wanted to take action to reduce these deaths.

During my first year here at OSU, I joined a student organization called Buckeyes for Harm Reduction to do just that - reduce the harms associated with substance use and spread education about the opioid epidemic/overdose crisis. Through this organization, I educated other students on how to save lives by using the overdose reversal drug Naloxone. I worked with the Columbus community by helping run a community syringe-exchange site called Safe Point Ohio that provides safer use resources such as free and clean syringes, medical supplies, and information for treatment options to anyone in need. I assisted in medication disposal events, packing and distributing Naloxone, and bringing in guest speakers so other people can learn from their expertise. Finally, I learned more about saving lives by “meeting people where they are at” and found an interest in being an Addiction Medicine physician.

All of this, and the declining overdose rates in Franklin County and throughout Ohio, wouldn’t be possible without the work of the staff and programming at Talbot Hall at OSU Hospital East. Physicians and staff here at Talbot Hall work specifically with patients diagnosed with substance use disorders and consult with individuals in the hospital who also struggle with the misuse of substances. Since 1974, Talbot Hall has developed various programs for Addiction Medicine including inpatient and outpatient care/therapy, residential treatment, peer recovery support, and much more. I have had the honor of working with Dr. Orman Hall, DO and Megan Deaner, LSW throughout my time at OSU through Buckeyes for Harm Reduction and at Talbot Hall. Hearing and seeing firsthand how the work being done changes the lives of their patients is why I am fundraising for continued Addiction Medicine Programming at Talbot Hall and OSU Hospital East which supports all of the work that Dr. Hall, Megan, and many other staff members are doing to save people’s lives.

Please join me in supporting the OSU Hospital East - Talbot Hall Addiction Medicine Program Fund, and let’s work toward a future where individuals can stay alive and get the support they need with their substance use.