PULASKI, NY – In response to the growing epidemic of prescription drug and heroin abuse, the VOW Foundation and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York are partnering with the Central Region Addiction Resource Center, the Oswego County Prevention Coalition, Healthway and the Kallet Theater & Conference Center in jointly sponsoring a community event November 28 at the Kallet Theater.
All are invited to attend; families benefit from attending this event together.
The documentary is appropriate for teens and older, however does show the devastation, loss and sorrow associated with the heroin/opiate epidemic.
Especially informative will be the interactive community panel discussion right after the documentary showing.
Parents who have dealt with addiction, young people in recovery, emergency responders, school counselors, treatment counselors, and others will talk about how these drugs have an effect on individuals and this community.
The program begins at 5:30 p.m. with agency resource tables and will feature a 6 p.m. showing of “Chasing the Dragon,” a 45-minute documentary film that profiles the stories of real people and their families experiencing opiate addiction, loss and treatment.
Created by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration, “Chasing the Dragon” profiles the cycle of addiction and looks at the tragic consequences associated with opioid abuse.
Immediately following the film will be an interactive community panel discussion focusing on the local response in Pulaski and Oswego County to the epidemic of opiate drug addiction.
Panel members will include Greg Oakes – DA/Coroner; Sandra Waldron of Farnham Family Services, Inc.; Karyn Grow of COCOAA; Lisa Walpole, Meggan Gauger, Kevin Dix of the Pulaski Police Department; EMS from NOCA; Scott McAuslan-Peer Specialist and U.S. Attorney General Staff.
Acting United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith said, “The heroin and opioids epidemic has afflicted communities, families, and individuals throughout the thirty-two counties of the Northern District of New York and across the nation. We will continue to work with local drug coalitions to bring ‘Chasing the Dragon: the Life of an Opiate Addict’ and its powerful prevention message to a wide audience, as we also work to reduce the supply and danger by vigorous efforts to hold the dealers of deadly drugs accountable. It takes strong enforcement and robust prevention, education, and treatment programs to overcome this grave threat to public health and safety.”
The documentary features interviews with former addicts and their families discussing the effects of addiction, and how the opiate epidemic is unlike any this country has seen in the past. Also included are medical and law enforcement professionals discussing opiate drugs and the current crisis.
“Chasing the Dragon” provides a vivid and thought provoking message of prevention and includes strong language and graphic images suitable for children age 12 and up.
For more information, please contact Teresa Woolson of the VOW Foundation at (315) 402-6119.
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