Meetings to educate parents/students of current opioid and heroin crisis
In an effort to continue raising awareness of the current opioid/heroin crisis in Virginia, Roanoke County Public Schools, the Roanoke Valleywide Drug Task Force and the Prevention Council of Roanoke County are hosting four community meetings in different areas of the county. Entitled, “How we got Dopesick: From JUUL to Heroin and everything in between,” these meetings are designed to help parents recognize the signs of addiction, learn how addiction can start, and know the resources available and to help our community eliminate the stigma of addiction.
Each meeting is open to the public and will begin at 7 p.m.
- South County: Tuesday, March 5 at Hidden Valley High School
- East County: Monday, March 11 at William Byrd High School
- West County: Tuesday, March 12 at Glenvar High School
- North County: Monday, March 25 at Northside High School
Each meeting will feature several community speakers including an update on the current crisis from law enforcement, personal stories of how families are affected by opioid/heroin addiction as highlighted in the book, Dopesick, tips for talking with medical professionals, and where to get answers and help for opioid/heroin addiction.
“In 2016, opioid and heroin addiction in Virginia was declared a public health crisis,” said Dr. Ken Nicely, Superintendent for Roanoke County Public Schools. “We wanted to continue helping to educate parents and our community about addiction,” said Dr. Nicely.
“Twenty years ago, we didn’t know the potential dangers of opioids. Today, we do,” said Nancy Hans, Executive Director of the Prevention Council of Roanoke County. “Today, we know how the brain handles addiction and we know more of the signs of early addiction. We want to help parents recognize those signs,” Hans said.
