This document outlines strategies for addressing the heroin epidemic at the community level. It discusses the Overdose Suppression Project led by Detective Gary Martin which uses a comprehensive approach including law enforcement, public awareness, and quantitative research. Non-profit organizations NOPE Task Force and Heroin Awareness Committee are also discussed and their approaches to community partnerships, education, family support, and advocacy. The presentation aims to provide guidance on developing successful community strategies to reduce overdose deaths.

1. Successful Strategies for
Community Change, Part 3
Det.
Gary
Mar+n
Homicide
Detec+ve,
Palm
Beach
Sheriffs
Department
Karen
Perry
Execu+ve
Director,
NOPE
Task
Force
Jennifer
Weiss
Execu+ve
Director,
Heroin
Awareness
CommiLee

2. Learning
Objec-ves
• Plan
tac+cs
to
form
your
advocacy
group,
what
strengths
to
consider,
and
how
to
select
the
right
group
of
people
to
help
with
your
mission.
• Outline
communica+on
techniques
for
dialogue
to
ensure
collabora+on
among
your
community.
• Iden+fy
strategies
to
address
heroin
use
in
your
community.

3. Disclosure
Statement
• Karen
Perry
has
no
financial
rela+onships
with
proprietary
en++es
that
produce
heath
care
goods
and
services.
• Gary
Mar+n
has
no
financial
rela+onships
with
proprietary
en++es
that
produce
health
care
goods
and
services.
• Jennifer
Weiss
has
no
financial
rela+onship
with
proprietary
en++es
that
produce
health
care
goods
and
services.

4. Dr./Detec-ve
Gary
Mar-n
Palm
Beach
County
Sheriff’s
Office
Lynn
University

5. Overdose
Suppression
Project:
A
Comprehensive
Response

6. Three
Strategies:
• Law
Enforcement
• Public
Awareness
• Quan-ta-ve
Research

7. • Reviewing
each
overdose
death
inves+ga+on.
• Applying
all
relevant
statutes
to
the
circumstances.
• Forwarding
all
narco+cs
intelligence.
• 19.3
%
of
the
case
reviews
generated
narco+cs
intelligence.

8. • Collec+ng
extensive
demographic
and
circumstan+al
data
from
each
overdose
death
inves+ga+on.
• Designing
a
prac+cal
overdose
death
database.
•
Exposing
overdose
correla+ons
and
trends.

9. Case
Examina-ons
• 353
overdose
death
cases
• Palm
Beach
County,
Florida
• Selected
by
chronological
occurrence
• Data
derived
from:
 Police
and
paramedic
reports
 Autopsy
and
toxicology
findings
 Family
and
friend
interviews
 Medical
records

13. Public
Awareness
• Forging
coopera+ve
rela+onships
with
families
who
have
lost
loved
ones
to
drug
overdose
death.
• Providing
overdose
risk
awareness
programs
to
students
and
parents.
• Designing
a
mul+media
public
service
campaign
focusing
on
the
risks
associated
with
prescrip+on
drug
misuse
and
abuse.
• Seeking
legisla+ve
ac+on
to
discourage
doctor
shopping
and
prescrip+on
drug
diversion.

14. Contact
Informa-on:
Detec+ve
Gary
Mar+n
Violent
Crimes
Division
–
Homicide
Unit
Palm
Beach
County
Sheriff’s
Office
West
Palm
Beach,
Fl
33406
561-­‐688-­‐4058
mar+ng@pbso.org
Or
Gary
Mar+n,
Ed.D.
Associate
Dean
For
Student
Life
Lynn
University
Boca
Raton,
Fl
33431
561-­‐237-­‐7157
gmar+n@lynn.edu

15. Karen
H.
Perry
Co-­‐Founder,
Execu-ve
Director
NOPE
Task
Force,
Inc.

16. Richard
Perry
Age
21

18. Successful
Community
Partnerships
• Assess
Community
• Partnerships
• Plan
• Implement

19. NOPE
Task
Force,
Inc.:
A
501c-­‐3
non-­‐profit
Mission
To
reduce
the
frequency
and
impact
of
drug
overdose
death
through:
• Community
Educa+on
• Family
Support
•
Purposeful
Advocacy

20. Partners
• Law
Enforcement
• Medical
Examiner
• Community
Government
• Medical
Professionals
• Treatment
Providers
• Educa+onal
Ins+tu+ons
• Legislators

21. NOPE
Task
Force’s
Partners
• Office
of
Na+onal
Drug
Control
Policy
• Hillsborough
County
Sheriff’s
Office
• Florida
Office
of
the
ALorney
General
• Indian
River
County
Sheriff’s
Office
• Florida
Sheriff’s
Associa+on
• Mar+n
County
Sheriff’s
Office
• Florida
Police
Chief’s
Associa+on
• Okeechobee
County
Sheriff’s
Office
• Florida
Coali+on
Alliance
• Palm
Beach
County
Sheriff’s
Office
• Safe
and
Drug
Free
Schools
• Palm
Beach
County
State
ALorney
• Caron
Center/Hanley
Center
• Pinellas
County
Sheriff’s
Office
• Lynn
University
• St.
Lucie
County
Sheriff’s
Office
• Tykes
and
Teens
of
Mar+n
County
• Sarasota
County
Sheriff’s
Office
• DACCO,
Inc.
• Seminole
County
Sheriff’s
and
• Flagler
County
Sheriff’s
Office
municipal
law
enforcement
agencies
• Volusia
County
Sheriff’s
Office

22. Create
and
Implement
a
Plan
• Awareness
• Educa+on
• Family
Support
• Advocacy

23. Awareness
• Na+onal
Candle
Light
Vigil
• Interac+ve
Website
• Social
Media
• Prescrip+on
Drug
Take
Back
Programs
• Advocate
for
Legisla+ve
Change

24. Educa-on
Presenta-ons
• Middle
&
High
Schools
• Universi+es
• Parents
&
Communi+es
• Treatment
&
Correc+onal
Ins+tu+ons
• Health
Care
Professionals

25. Family
Support
• Treatment
Support
• ASK
ADAM
• Support
Groups
• Interac+ve
Website
• Publica+ons

26. Accomplishments
• Florida
Prescrip+on
Drug
Monitoring
Program
• Pill
Mill
Bill
and
Diversion
• Good
Samaritan
911
Law
• Average
Age
of
First
Use

27. NOPE
Task
Force
866-­‐612-­‐NOPE
www.nopetaskforce.org
Karen
Perry
Execu-ve
Director
KPerry@NOPETaskForce.org

28. The Heroin Awareness Committee (HAC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness and
education about opiate abuse in NM.

29. Facts
About
New
Mexico
• Known
as
the
Land
of
Enchantment/Entrapment.
• Popula+on
is:
2,085,500.
• Biggest
City
is
Albuquerque.
Popula+on:
552,800.
• We
are
NOT
part
of
Mexico.
We
are
part
of
the
U.S.
• Yes,
we
have
running
water.
• We
are
home
to
the
largest
interna+onal
hot
air
balloon
fiesta.
• You
will
be
asked
“red,
green
or
Christmas”
at
every
Mexican
food
restaurant
you
venture
into.
• We
are
the
home
of
the
NM
Lobos
and
the
infamous
“PIT”

30. NM has the highest drug-induced death rate in the nation
The
na-onal
rate
is
12.7%,
NM’s
is
22.8%
(per
100,000
deaths)

31. How did we
get here?

32. How do we
change?
• Awareness
• Preven+on
• Interven+on
• Treatment
• Post-­‐Treatment/Recovery

33. Heroin
Awareness
CommiLee
(HAC)
• Founded
in
April
2010.
• Mission
Statement:
Not
Another
Life
Lost
to
Heroin
• Purpose:
1) Provide
educa+on
and
awareness
about
the
opiate
epidemic
that
is
plaguing
our
country.
2) Provide
beLer
access
to
treatment
resources.
3) Reduce
the
s+gma.
Hope
Awareness
&
Change
–
Stop
Addic+on

34. Cameron
Weiss

35. Run
your
fingers
through
my
soul.
Feel
what
I
feel,
Believe
what
I
believe,
Perceive
as
I
perceive,
Look,
experience,
and
for
once;
Just
once,
understand…….

36. The
drug
twists
your
brain
so
fast,
so
quick,
you
don’t
even
know
that
you
are
slowly
losing
your
soul….

37. Make a difference, one person at a time.
• Speak
at
local
high
schools
and
middle
schools
• Speak
during
conferences:
• NM
Medical
Society
• NM
Social
Workers
• NM
Dental
Associa+on
• NM
Pediatricians
• NM
Head
to
Toe
conference
for
educators
• Speak
at
board
mee+ngs
and
training
sessions:
• State
proba+on
officer
board
mee+ngs
• NM
Correc+ons
Department
staff
training
and
cadet
training
• Albuq.
Police
Department
and
Fire
Department
mee+ngs
• Community-­‐wide
seminars
• Awareness
events
(candle
light
vigils,
rally’s,
balloon
releases,
awareness
walks,
fundraising
events)
• Speak
during
legisla+ve
sessions

38. “Never
underes+mate
the
power
of
a
small
group
of
commi8ed
people
to
change
the
world.
In
fact,
it
is
the
only
thing
that
ever
has.”
~
Margaret
Mead

39. Starting an Advocacy Group in your Community:
• Communicate
the
problem
everywhere.
Make
it
a
community
issue.
• Talk,
talk
talk.
Talk
to
principals,
law
enforcement,
public
safety
officials,
doctors,
den+sts,
social
workers,
legislatures.
Talk,
talk,
talk.
• Don’t
assume
that
people
“get
it”.
Even
the
professionals.
Tell
stories.
Make
it
real.
• Form
rela+onships.
• Work
with
local
legislatures
to
get
their
support.
Go
straight
to
the
top.
People
will
listen
when
the
mo+ve
isn’t
for
personal
gain.
• Find
advocates
in
your
community
with
a
powerful
story
to
share.
• Get
the
media
involved.
• Don’t
stop.
Don’t
give
up.
I wondered by somebody didn’t do something. Then I
realized, I am somebody.
~Anonymous

40. Awareness without action is worthless
Dr. Phillip McGraw

41. Grieve not, nor speak of me with tears, but laugh
and talk of me as if I were beside you there.!
Rest in Peace!

42. jenweiss24@msn.com
(505)
363-­‐9684
saynotoheroin@gmail.com
www.saynotoheroin.org