That battle can be difficult in Richland County, Trolian said: "We are too big to be small, and we are too small to be big." He called it a "tweener" county, a size commissioner Marilyn John likes.

"We care for everyone in this county," John said. "We're doing everything we can for those in the county who are struggling with addiction."

She thanked those present for their efforts, and reminded them the effects of their work ripple much further into society than most would suspect.

"You're not only dealing with that individual and what's happening to them, but their loved ones," John said. "Small children who don't understand what's happening to mommy or daddy."

"We don't view any resident or situation as a throwaway," Trolian said. "I've heard we can't arrest our way out of the problem, but we can't treat our way out of the problem, either."

He added that the Mansfield Playhouse has helped officers a great deal in recent years by providing actors who play out how they would react to different drugs, giving officers a chance to learn how they might respond to different situations.

Tim Harless, director of community outreach and programming for Richland County Children's Services, told the crowd that efforts are succeeding he introduced two ladies who committed to changing their lives after they saw how much help was available to them.

"These two ladies struggled with addiction for quite some time," Harless said. "Both of these ladies are now recovering. Both of these ladies now have their children back in their house."