Keep shining light on heroin addiction
We would like to commend the Daily Herald for shining a light on the darkness of suburban heroin addiction and death. Here at the Robert Crown Center for Health Education, we’ve been working closely with experts, families, youth and teachers as we seek to understand the issue of suburban heroin use and design an education and prevention initiative that will change futures in our community.
The Daily Herald correctly notes that while heroin use is not commonly discussed, the problem is growing at a frightening and exponential rate here in the suburbs. We are fortunate to be working with courageous mothers, fathers, siblings and friends of heroin’s victims who contribute to our Family Advisory Committee’s work which shapes our response.
Daily Herald writer Jamie Sotonoff attended the Robert Crown Center’s Community Forum on Heroin, which featured original research commissioned to help RCC experts understand the crisis and create effective prevention methods. The details of that research are available to all for free on our website www.robertcrown.org
The good news is that the word is getting out there. As a community, we must continue to work together to support families whose lives are devastated by heroin addiction. As the nation’s oldest health education center, we are proud to stand with the Daily Herald, Rep. Patti Bellock, DuPage and Will County’s regional offices of education and countless others as we work to prevent our youth from starting down this dangerous and deadly path.
Kathleen M. Burke
CEO, Robert Crown Center for Health Education