By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
It’s no secret that the use and abuse of drugs — especially opioids — is on the rise in our backyard., That’s why Congregation Beth Chaim in West Windsor Township is holding a special presentation Jan. 25 that brings together counselors, a physician and police, as well as young people who are recovering from drug addiction to discuss the issue., The event, which is free and open to the public, starts at 6:30 p.m. at Congregation Beth Chaim at 329 Village Road East in West Windsor., Beginning at 6:30 p.m., visitors can stop by at tables set up by organizations that help young people who are struggling with addiction., Those groups include Corner House, Summit Behavioral Health and the Mercer Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. They will have fliers and other information to hand out to visitors., At 7 p.m., there will be a panel discussion on drugs and drug abuse. The panel consists of Dr. Greg Neyman, an emergency room physician at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton; Lt. Matthew Kemp of the West Windsor Township Police Department; Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri; counselor Camille Bloomberg; and some young adults who are in long-term recovery from addiction., The event, which has been dubbed “It’s In Our Backyard, Too: Drug Use and Addiction in Our Community,” grew out of a poll of Congregation Beth Chaim members that asked about the issues that affected their lives, said Rabbi Adena Blum., Kesher, which is the congregation’s “caring committee,” conducted the poll. After analyzing the results and because of the committee’s desire to shift its focus to youth, it decided to address the prevalence of substance abuse among teenagers, Rabbi Blum said., “Our hope is to shed light on a topic that is all too often swept under the rug, and to provide resources to our families who are struggling with this issue, or who may know someone else who is struggling with it,” Rabbi Blum said.
