Judge Andrea Duffy speaks at the DARA addiction forum.
On Thursday evening, the Drug Addiction Resource Alliance (D.A.R.A.) held its seventh Drug Addiction Information Forum.
The event was held in the lobby of North Penn Commons. It featured several tables with information from local resources that D.A.R.A. calls on in order to help those suffering from addiction.
“Resources are everything,” said Judge Andrea Duffy, during the presentation.
Duffy started D.A.R.A. in 2016 when she realized that many defendants who were arrested for drug-related charges did not have the resources necessary to overcome addiction.
There were also speakers at the forum, including Pennsylvania State Representative Steve Malagari, Lansdale Police Chief Michael Trail, newscaster Lisa Thomas-Laury and Judge Todd Eisenberg. The speakers talked about their personal connections to addiction, as well as the work they are doing to help those in the community who may be battling the disease.
Malagari told a personal story of a coworker who struggled with alcohol addiction, and how he was able to get him help by taking him to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. He said that, though the numbers of lives lost are decreasing, there is still work to be done.
“These startling statistics, however, are more than just numbers,” said Malagari, in his speech. “They reflect the lives lost and the families torn apart.”
Police Chief Michael Trail also got up to speak about how a lot of his work deals with combatting narcotics. He also shared that his daughter is in recovery from addiction. He stated that before programs like D.A.R.A. existed, many of those who were arrested for drugs would go to jail and commit the same crimes once they were released.
“I want to thank Judge Duffy for recognizing that need,” said Trail, in his presentation, adding that he believes that Duffy is the first judge to have a program such as D.A.R.A. on a local level, at least in the local region.
Thomas-Laury told her story of how her father struggled with addiction. She was diagnosed with POEMS syndrome, and when her doctor wanted to put her on OxyContin, she was hesitant because of the addiction that ran in her family. Her doctor said she would be fine, but she realized she became addicted when she was travelling and realized she did not have her medicine with her.
Thomas-Laury’s overarching message was that addiction can happen to anyone, and that it is important to be an advocate of your own healthcare—citing her gut instinct to avoid OxyContin since addiction was in her family. She said that addiction can happen to anyone, but everyone deserves to live a good life.
“Each of us has a right to happiness that transcends all the materialistic forces that surround us,” said Thomas-Laury.
Judge Eisenberg spoke after Thomas-Laury. He talked about his involvement with the Target Opioid Phase Program, which, like D.A.R.A., is a program to help get those who were arrested for drug-related charges get the treatment they needed. He decided to take part in this effort because he wanted to help society and knew that putting people in jail without getting them treatment is not effective.
“I will guarantee you that, in ten years, programs like this are going to be the norm, not only across the Commonwealth but, I believe, across the country,” said Eisenberg.
After all of the speakers made their presentations, Duffy announced that there would be three other forums like this happening this year. The next one, and the only other one taking place in the North Penn area, will take place on May 2, at the North Montco Technical Career Center. Like this event, the doors will open at 6 p.m. and speakers will begin at 7 p.m.
Following the presentations, there was a free Naloxone training and participants were encouraged to sign up to receive free Naloxone in the mail so they could be prepared to deal with an overdose if it happens near them.
“I’m really amazed at the turnout,” said Duffy in an interview following the event. “This really shows the power of the North Penn community.”
She added that she is happy that people want to learn more about the disease, but the large turnout is bittersweet since it reflects the need in our community.
See Also:
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