JAY – Community forums on heroin and opiate use and the addiction crisis in greater Franklin County will be held on Monday, Jan. 9 at two locations.
The first forum will be held at Spruce Mountain Middle School in Jay from 2:30-4:30 p.m. and the second will be at Mt. Abram High School in Salem from 6-8 p.m. Both forums will be hosted by the Healthy Community Coalition, working with the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Greater Franklin County.
During the past year, coalition members have heard from many community partners, schools, businesses and concerned citizens about the devastating effect that substance has on individuals and their families in greater Franklin County.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, deaths from drug overdoses in Maine averaged one per day in 2016. Locally, greater Franklin County has seen a dramatic increase in drug-related deaths, babies born addicted to drugs, and a rise in drug related crimes. Adding to the addiction crisis is a lack of local treatment resources for individuals who suffer from substance use disorders and a lack of support for families who are dealing with substance abuse issues.
In response to these concerns, the Maine Opiate Collaborative Task Force will present its road map for federal, state and local actions that can be taken by local communities in the areas of prevention, treatment, harm reduction and law enforcement at the forums. Community members will have an opportunity to share their reactions, suggestions, the opportunities and challenges to being successful.
Two related discussions posted earlier here on what substance abuse addiction and treatment looks like in our area:
Neonatal Narcotic Abstinence Syndrome, a growing problem, by Dr. Jay Naliboff can be read here.
Intensive Outpatient Programming: Helping individuals with addiction, by Darlene Sinskie can be read here.
Light refreshments will be served at the forums and there will be door prizes and childcare available. For more information, contact Lorri Brown at 779-2409 or ljbrown@fchn.org or Nicole Ditata at 779-2932 or nditata@fchn.org
Are any forums scheduled for Farmington?
Ro, I suspect they would be mentioned here if there were.