San Andreas, CA…Calaveras County had a rate of 124 opioid prescriptions per 100 residents in 2016, according to the California Department of Public Health. To better understand what this means for our community, the public is invited to a free educational event on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at the Calaveras Performing Arts Center at Calaveras High School in San Andreas. The evening will begin at 5pm with refreshments and an informal opportunity to chat with experts and gather resources about opioid addiction and local recovery services. A screening of the 50-minute hard-hitting documentary “Chasing the Dragon” will take place at 6pm, followed by a panel discussion featuring local medical and behavioral health experts and individuals sharing their experiences with opioid addiction.

The overuse of prescription opioids has become a national as well as a local epidemic. Opioid-related deaths continue to rise in the United States. Every day, 91 Americans die from an opioid overdose. In 2016, doctors wrote 23,684,377 opioid prescriptions, with 53,872 opioid prescriptions in Calaveras County alone. There were four opioid overdose deaths in Calaveras in 2016, which ranks Calaveras County among the top ten counties in the state in opioid-related deaths.

“We believe that education and awareness are the first steps to beginning community dialogue on this issue,” said David Sackman, deputy director for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment at Calaveras County Health and Human Services Agency. “Parents, teens, teachers, and healthcare professionals are essential partners in addressing this epidemic and improving the health of our community, and we invite the entire community to join this important discussion.”

The event is being hosted and sponsored by the Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention in partnership with Calaveras County Public Health, Behavioral Health, Calaveras County Office of Education and other community organizations and individuals.

For more information, please contact Robb Fulgham at 209-754-6555.
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