Port Jervis, NY (August 31) – On Monday evening, August 31, Bon Secours Community Hospital, Port Jervis, NY, hosted a presentation by Port Jervis Police Sgt. Michael Worden on the topic of street drugs and the impact on the community. Approximately 100 guests attended the event, which was held at the Erie Trackside Manor in Port Jervis.
The important presentation was sponsored by Bon Secours Community Hospital in collaboration with the Port Jervis Police Department, the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Council and Operation Port Jervis PRIDE (Port reaching for intervention and a drug free environment.)
Those who attended included State, County and local officials. And the presentation on this critical topic, given by Sergeant Michael Worden of the Port Jervis Police Department, was followed by a panel discussion, which included these officials and an opportunity for audience participation.
Sergeant Worden explained that expensive prescription drugs like opioids have been recently overtaken by an epidemic use of Heroin, which is much cheaper and more potent. And the problem, he added, is exacerbated by the area's proximity to the New York City Metropolitan area, the prime destination for drugs coming from Central America and Mexico.
"There are several messages I want attendees to take away from the presentation," said Sgt. Worden. "We cannot arrest our way out of this problem. We must recognize that drug abuse and addiction is not just a police problem, it is a community problem. And as such, it takes a community to help solve the many issues that underlie abuse and addiction."
Worden added that aggressive law enforcement was part of that along with recognizing the problem and putting together community partnerships. He stressed that the problem of drugs in this area is part of a national epidemic.
Bon Secours Community Hospital, a member of the Bon Secours Charity Health System, has been treating mental illness for over 20 years and providing rehabilitation for drug and alcohol addiction, including "New Directions," a detoxification program, for over 25 years.
The hospital provides behavioral health services not just for Port Jervis, but for the tri-state area including all of Orange County, the surrounding counties and adjacent states.
"This was a very important educational event for everyone, " said Mary Decker, community liaison for Bon Secours Community Hospital. "We thank Sergeant Worden, all of the State, County and local officials present, members of our local law enforcement agencies, our associates in the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Council and Operation Port Jervis PRIDE, the Erie Trackside Manor and all the attendees for their participation."
Bon Secours Community Hospital, a member of the Bon Secours Charity Health System, is located at 160 East Main Street in Port Jervis, NY. For additional information call (845) 858–7000 or visit:
bschs.bonsecours.com
About Bon Secours Charity Health System
Every year, nearly one million people in the lower Hudson Valley, New Jersey and Pennsylvania turn to Bon Secours Charity Health System (BSCHS) for innovative healthcare delivered with compassion. BSCHS has received national recognition, rankings and numerous awards for the level of care it provides.
BSCHS is comprised of Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Suffern, NY; Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis, NY; St. Anthony Community Hospital in Warwick, NY; a certified home health agency; two long-term care facilities; an assisted living/adult home facility and several other medical programs located throughout the region. The system employs more than 3,400, making it one of the region's largest employers
Bon Secours Medical Group is BSCHS's regional network of nearly 80 primary care physicians and specialists from a broad array of medical disciplines. These skilled clinicians play a central role in bringing personalized, preventive and expert care to people from every stage of life.
BSCHS is a member of the Bon Secours Health System—a national Catholic healthcare system with a strong reputation and robust commitment to bringing compassionate healthcare to those in need. For more information, visit
www.BSCHS.BonSecours.com. For a complete list of practitioners, visit
http://bschs.org/find-a-physician-bon-secours-medical-group.html
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Port Jervis Police Sergeant Michael Worden explained that expensive prescription drugs like opioids have been recently overtaken by an epidemic use of Heroin, which is much cheaper and more potent.