Families who have been affected by a loved one’s drug addiction will soon have an opportunity to learn from others who’ve experienced the heroin and opioid addiction health crisis firsthand at a Northampton Community College free forum, according to a news release from the school.
“According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), drug overdoses have increased dramatically over the past two years,” it said. “Deaths from overdoses more than tripled among all age groups between 1999 and 2016.”
Families who have been affected by addiction–including those who have lost children to this epidemic and individuals in recovery–will share their experiences and knowledge on Thursday, Oct. 4, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. at several locations on the Bethlehem Campus of Northampton Community College (NCC), 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem Township.
The forum will also include a program from the Heroin & Opioid Prevention Education (HOPE) organization, opportunities to create memorials to victims or to celebrate a recovery and visits by representative of local agencies such as Medication Assisted Recovery Services (MARS), Halfway House of the Lehigh Valley and Keenan House.
Attendees will learn about Northampton County Drug Court and NCC’s Collegiate Recovery Program, and visit a mock teen bedroom where they can search for hidden “drugs,” learning how to identify drug paraphernalia.
The event is sponsored by NCC, the Northampton County Drug & Alcohol Division and the Center for Humanistic Change Inc.
For more information about it call 610-861-5342.
