The LuLac Edition #3761, April 18th, 2018

WRITE ON WEDNESDAY

Our :Write On Wednesday” logo.

This week’s two part  edition of  Write On Wednesday  is something very personal to me. Since December of ’17, I have been working on a Community Project with the heritage Knights of Columbus President John F. Kennedy Council #372 in Pittston. Our topic will be the opioid crisis. Here’s that article.

EXPERIENCED PANEL TAKES ON OPIOID TOPIC FOR KNIGHTS EVENT

One hundred years. That number represents the experience level of the panel that will be presenting O.F.F. or the Opioid Fact Forum. The event happens on Thursday April 19 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at The Pittston Memorial Library. The meeting is being presented by the Heritage President John F. Kennedy Knights Council 372/Assembly 948 as part of its Family Committee programing. Closing in on over 120 years, this is a new foray for the Knights group.
As families and society evolve for better or worse, so do service organizations like the Knights to meet those needs. We believe that information is power and want all families of all faiths to get the best information from the most experienced people who can convey it.
The program will feature Carmen Ambrosino as its moderator. An addiction specialist and consultant for more than 40 years, Ambrosino founded the Wyoming Valley Alcohol and Drug Services, Inc. (WVADS) in Wilkes-Barre in 1973 and was its chief executive officer (CEO) until his retirement in December 2013. Even though he is five years retired, Ambrosino remains the go-to person on matters of substance abuse, addiction, and prevention. Mr. Ambrosino assists the public at large throughout Northeasrt Pennsylvania and beyond in navigating the complications of contending with drug and alcohol problems through newspaper articles, radio broadcasts, and television programming. And he continues to teach undergraduate and graduate courses on treatment for and prevention of substance abuse at local higher education institutions.
Judge Michael Vough will take the audience through a day in his courtroom, which is filled with the ramifications of opioid abuse in this area. Vough was elected to serve the citizens of Luzerne County as judge of the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas in 2012. Since that time he has presided over thousands of criminal and civil cases. He currently serves as the criminal court division administrator and has previously served as the co-civil court division administrator. Vough previously served as a prosecutor in the district attorney’s office and brings both a legal and human perspective.
One of the most compelling speakers will be Carol Coolbaugh. Carol Coolbaugh knows firsthand the complexity of substance abuse and the pain and suffering it causes not only for addicts, but for anyone who loves them. After 18 years of trying to save his life, her 29-year-old son, Erik, died of a drug overdose. Left with a terrible void, Carol immediately decided to become proactive and founded the Erik Coolbaugh Memorial Foundation. Its mission was to provide awareness and education on the disease of addiction and to dispel the stigma associated with it.
In 2012, Carol started a local chapter of G.R.A.S.P., “Grief Recovery After Substance Passing.” This grief support group gives family and friends a safe place to express their experiences without judgment.
Through G.R.A.S.P. and Erik’s foundation, Carol has organized a yearly overdose awareness day/walk held in conjunction with International Overdose Awareness Day. This day is filled with love, joy, and sorrow as attendees remember those lost to the disease of addiction.
Coroner Bill Lisman has the unenviable task of documenting and discharging the final chapter for a person who has abused opioids. Lisman is all too often the final point of contact in the opioid saga for those who succumb to it. Lisman has been associated with the coroner’s office since 1975. He was appointed assistant chief deputy in 1996 and in March 2000 he was appointed to the position of chief deputy coroner.
Opioid abuse is pervasive in our area today and reaches all age levels and incomes. As documented earlier this year in The Citizens’ Voice, The oldest victim in 2017 in Luzerne County was 76. The youngest was 18. The average age was 38.
Most died in Wilkes-Barre, followed by Hazleton. The zip code for a cluster of seven West Side towns was next.
Fentanyl, the powerful synthetic opioid, was the most common killer, but most died with multiple drugs in their system.
These four participants will offer their views as well as welcome public input on the night of April 19, 6 to 8:30 p.m. at The Pittston Memorial Library. The event is free and there will be light refreshments.
The Citizens’ Voice is proud to sponsor this event along with the Knights of Columbus.
DAVID YONKI is a 4th Degree Knight of the President John F. Kennedy Council 372/ Assembly 948 and chair of the Knights Family Committee.
http://citizensvoice.com/opinion/experienced-panel-takes-on-opioid-topic-for-knights-event-1.2324800