The Acadia Hospital, along with many other area agencies, participated in Red Ribbon Week, a nation-wide drug and alcohol abuse education campaign, during the week of October 27. Acadia’s Close to Home campaign, which focuses on the opiate abuse education, provided seven presentations to Brewer High School students, reaching over 100 teens with a clear message of the dangers associated with abusing opiates.
On Tuesday evening Acadia, in conjunction with the Old Town – Orono Rotary and River Coalition hosted an evening community education session for teens and adults on opiate abuse at Old Town High School. Thirty adults and teens attended this session. The presentations included the short film, Falling, produced by Maine non-profit Project Aware, followed by additional opiate abuse information and a question and answer period.
Acadia Hospital Adminstrator of Substance Abuse Services Brent Scobie presents on the dangers of opiate abuse to 30 teens and adults at the Old Town High School recently.
“We are very pleased to have Acadia Hospital participate in our Red Ribbon Week as the current trends in opiate abuse warrant special attention,” Brewer High School Nurse Cathy Sherman stated. Students who viewed the film and learned more about opiates and their addictive qualities seemed appreciative of the opportunity to learn the facts. “We’ve learned a lot this week about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, and I was surprised to find out just how big of a problem opiate abuse is in Maine,” said one student participant.
The Old Town community presentation made a clear impact on those in attendance. “I never realized Maine has one of the highest rates of opiate abuse in the nation; this session was a real eye-opener,” commented one parent. Rotary member Jon Gaudet, one of the sessions’ planners, added, “The Rotary is committed to supporting youth in our community and co-sponsoring this program was wholeheartedly endorsed by our members. The only way we, as a community, can combat this problem is through education.”
For more information on the Close to Home campaign and the dangers of opiate abuse please go to: www.closetohomecampaign.org. The Acadia Hospital is a private, non-profit psychiatric and chemical dependency treatment provider. As a member of EMHS, Acadia works with its affiliated organizations to ensure the highest quality care is available to all who need it.
The River Coalition’s mission is to ensure our communities are safe and healthy by enabling collaboration, strengthening partnerships, and assisting in resource development. The River coalition serves: Alton, Bradley, Greenbush, Milford, Old Town, and the Penobscot Indian Nation. Learn more at: www.rivercoalition.org.
Close to Home Campaign participates in Red Ribbon Week
Rotary is a worldwide organization of more than 1.2 million business, professional, and community leaders. Members of Rotary clubs, known as Rotarians, provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. The Old Town – Orono Rotary is an active part of Rotary International. Go to: www.rotary.org. |
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