Miguel Prieto remembered at Hispanic UMADAOP Luncheon
by Joe Narkin

(Plain Press, August 2008) Miguel Prieto, the late visionary founder and first Executive Director of the Hispanic Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Program (HUMADAOP) in Cleveland, was very much on the mind of presenters and participants at the First Annual Luncheon for the 19-year-old organization at the Brennan Party Center on June 25 2008.

Keynote Speaker Angela Cornelius Lawson, the newly appointed Executive Director of the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, reflected on the skepticism that Prieto and his supporters in the local community encountered when they first proposed a treatment program for Latinos with alcoholism, drug addiction, and other behavioral health difficulties.

“You weren’t supposed to be here,” said Lawson. “What was a vision is now a reality. What was a vision is now a vehicle of healing. You knew what researchers are learning now – the value of cultural competency.”

“You have helped over 10,000 people from what was a dream,” Lawson added.

A client in recovery, Herberto “Eddie” C., 52, came to HUMADAOP for help in 2004 and has been sober ever since. He now runs his own business. Eddie, the son of an alcoholic father and a mentally unstable mother, started using alcohol and drugs and was living on the streets before his teenage years. “I started a journey at the age of 11 to escape reality,” said Eddie tearfully. “You gave me a vision that allows me to accept reality.”

Rosa C. has been sober for nearly 12 years, but her active addiction led her into a lifestyle in which she contracted the HIV virus. She credits HUMADAOP with saving her life and helping her deal with her struggles in living as a HIV-positive woman.

Referring to the testimonies of Eddie and Rosa, Lawson said, “The most important guests in the room are not those who have titles, they are the guests who have testimonies.” Speaking directly to Eddie and Rosa, Lawson said, “For you to have gone through a testimony; you have to have gone through a test. Although your testimonies were short, I know that you have got a novel in your life.”

The first Miguel Prieto Service Award was presented to Luis Gomez who is the President of the HUMADAOP Board of Directors and a liaison between Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich and the Hispanic community in Greater Cleveland.

Carlos Ivan Ramos, Ph.D., the Executive Director of HUMADAOP, noted that Latinos represent the largest minority in the U.S. with over 40% of the Latino population under the age of 21. Given the large number of young people in this population and given the significant economic, educational, and social difficulties frequently encountered by Latino youth in Cleveland, the need for the culturally sensitive prevention and treatment offered through HUMADAOP can only be expected to increase in the years ahead, said Ramos.

The mission of HUMADAOP is to empower the Latino community to eliminate or reduce the harmful impact of addictions, including tobacco, and the transmission and consequences of HIV/AIDS through a culturally specific and holistic approach to prevention and recovery. HUMADAOP is the only Hispanic bicultural and bilingual agency providing such services in the state of Ohio.

HUMADOAP is located at 3305 West 25th Street. Individuals seeking help for themselves, or for another, can reach HUMADAOP by calling (216) 459-1222.

(See related photos here)

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