Council Holds Forum On Substance Abuse

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Suffield Local Prevention CouncilOn November 17th the Suffield Local Prevention Council (SLPC) sponsored a Public Forum that was attended by more than 150 Suffield residents, who heard substance abuse concerns from local law enforcement and medical perspectives. There was a keynote presentation by Dr. David Herr, Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Johnson Memorial Medical Center, as well as personal stories of the risks of substance abuse by Suffield residents and an overview of ways to get help, support and treatment.

It was clear from the presentations that there have been many instances of drug overdoses here in Suffield and that as a community we must work together to increase awareness, provide additional education and support individuals in need of help.

A question and answer session followed with all presenters, who were joined by Karen Berasi, Superintendent of Schools, and State Representative Tami Zawistowski, addressing issues and concerns with Forum attendees.

In keeping with the SLPC focus on prevention, education and community awareness, we will continue to provide information through various media outlets, attending community events and distributing literature when appropriate.

Beginning in this issue of the Observer, we will be doing a series of articles that provide insight on substance abuse from the varying viewpoints of educators, law enforcement, medical personnel, youth services, parents and volunteer community members.

Leslie Offenbach, Youth Services Director, leads off with an article on what help resources are available and how to access them. Her article contains information on various local and state resource contacts, literature, articles and helpful websites.

Together we can be so much more effective working to reduce the damage of alcohol and drug abuse to our families, our friends and our community. If you are interested in participating with the SLPC, please contact Leslie at 860-668-3329 or loffenbach@suffieldct.gov.

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