FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Helena Peterson, Director
Coastal Hancock Healthy Communities
667-5352 office
667-5396 fax
667-7211 home
healthy@downeasthealth.org

Substance Abuse Dialog

Ellsworth, ME. 12/14/2004 – The Union River Healthy Communities Coalition invites the public to attend a follow-up community dialogue to last year’s dialogue: “Freedom from Addiction” on January 4, 2005 at the Ellsworth City Hall from 4pm to 6pm.

This informal conversation will be centered on what the next steps will be in utilizing “Holes in the Net: An Assessment of Substance Abuse Services”, a document developed by the coalition’s Substance Abuse Task Force. These questions that will be asked, among others: What is the priority? How can we prevent abuse of substances? How can we work with groups currently working on substance abuse prevention? Everyone is invited to attend this dialog to hear from local providers, law enforcement, professionals, and interested community members. Individuals are encouraged to share their own stories and offer suggestions on how the Union River area can address this serious issue. Helena Peterson, Partnership Director of Coastal Hancock Healthy Communities, will facilitate the dialogue

Although the majority of our citizens choose not to abuse substances, there are disturbing trends. According to Linda Williams, Prevention Team Member at the Maine Office of Substance Abuse, new drug use practices are entering our communities. She says, “After a steady decline in inhalant use over the past decade, the 2004 Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol Survey (MYDAUS) showed a worrisome increase. Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome is a distinct reality. Studies done in the United Kingdom reveal that for those people who died from inhalant abuse, for 39% of them it was their first use.”

The dialogue is one of a continuing series of community conversations about issues that affect the health of all citizens.

The Union River Healthy Communities Coalition is a community organization whose membership is open to anyone with an interest in the goals of the coalition: to organize people and resources to improve the quality of life in the Union River and Schoodic regions, through education, advocacy and action. The coalition is coordinated by Coastal Hancock Healthy Communities, a program of Downeast Health Services, a Healthy Maine Partnership funded by Maine Bureau of Health, private foundations, and donations.

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