Morris County to Hold Countywide Forum on Opiate Addiction and Recovery on Tuesday
Published on February 23, 2017
Collaboration is the key word in Stigma-Free Morris County these days. Being able to bring together public health, government, law enforcement, community and social service organizations to participate in a shared vision for change is the driver for the upcoming Tuesday (Feb. 28) public workshop(PDF, 628KB): The Opiate Epidemic: From Addiction to Recovery.
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The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the Morris County Public Safety Academy, 500 West Hanover Avenue, in Parsippany (across the street from the Morris View Healthcare Centre).
So many organizations are developing and implementing strategies to combat this epidemic and yet, county-wide, many are not aware of what the resources are and the environmental strategies in place to effect real change. This is an opportunity for educating on what the problem is and what Morris County leaders are doing to save and restore lives.
Freeholder Director Doug Cabana
Morris County is committed to dealing with the issue of substance abuse, especially the surge in opiate abuse, said Freeholder Director Doug Cabana. This forum is another important step in educating our community to this issue. We encourage you to attend.
The workshop was organized through the efforts of the North Jersey Health Collaborative Heroin/Opiate Work Group, Morris County Human Services and Office of Health Management, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, and the Community Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Morris, an initiative of Morris County Preventions is Key.
Speakers will include: Brad Seabury, Morris County Chief Asst. Prosecutor; Eric Wilsusen, retired Asst. Chief Jefferson Township Police Department; Barbara Kauffman, Director of Prevention Services, for Morris County Prevention is Key (MCPIK); Beth Jacobson; Alton Robinson, Lead Peer Recovery Specialist, CARES; Melody Runyon, Assistant Director of MCPIK.
You must register for the Feb. 28 event.
THE MORRIS COUNTY STIGMA FREE INITIATIVE:
The Morris County Stigma-Free Communities Initiative is a county-wide program which aims to eradicate the stigma associated with mental illness and substance use disorders. We are dedicated to raising awareness of these illnesses by creating an environment where affected individuals are supported in their efforts to achieve wellness and recovery.
Ten Morris County towns, including Boonton, Denville, East Hanover, Hanover, Jefferson, Madison, Morris Plains, Morris Township, Rockaway Borough and Rockaway Township, have signed on as participating Stigma Free communities in Morris County. The Board of Freeholders in 2016 passed a resolution designating Morris County as a Stigma-Free County and asked the county's 39 towns to consider enrolling.
Morris County has created a Stigma Free website www.morriscountystigmafree.org to call attention to the initiative, provide information and resources, and a calendar of upcoming events related to mental illness and substance abuse. A Stigma Free Toolkit also has been created.
Morris County's goal in creating a Stigma Free initiative is to disseminate information and foster a stigma-free environment where people are free from judgment and can get the help they need to recover.