On Thursday April 19, the Hopewell Valley Municipal Alliance will be hosting, “The Opioid Crisis: Is it Here?”, a panel discussion at Hopewell Valley Central High School’s Media Center at 7pm.
The program will be introduced and facilitated by Alicia Cook, author, award-winning activist and contributor to HuffPost and USA Today, and will include a panel discussion of Hopewell Valley residents personally affected by opiates and drug addiction.
The Hopewell Township Police will discuss the Hopewell C.A.R.E. (Community Addiction Recovery Effort) program, and a representative of Recovery Advocates of America, who works in the Hopewell Valley community helping families in need, will also be participating in the panel.
“We are trying to bring awareness to the community and to offer the resources available. The opioid crisis is a national epidemic. We have to understand this issue has no socioeconomic boundary. It does not discriminate,” said Heidi Kahme, Hopewell Valley Municipal Alliance Coordinator. “We have to do better and, by bringing this education and public awareness to our community, it’s a start.”
Also, earlier in the day, Cook will make an appearance at Hopewell Valley Central High School for #NotEvenOnce, an interactive opiate awareness program for high school students. The program will be led by a trained Hopewell Township police detective, educating students about the dangers of opiates.
The goal of the program is not only to share how this crisis has impacted Hopewell Valley residents, but also to help families and individuals struggling with addiction and provide the resources they may need.
The program is open to anyone and registration is not required. There will be a resource table with free materials at the program. Questions can be directed to the Hopewell Valley Municipal Alliance at [email protected].
