Events to Focus on Preventing Drug Abuse

Two events designed to address drug issues are scheduled in Huntington in the next two weeks as professionals try to reduce the damage caused by addiction.

The Halesite Fire Department  will host “Be Smart.Don’t Start” on May 29, with a conversation for parents and their kids about the dangers of drug and alcohol use and how it affects  young people. The presentation is geared toward middle school and high school students and their parents to help them realize the effects of drug and alcohol abuse and the health, social, and legal ramifications associated.

The discussion will include how drug and alcohol use may begin and how students can recognize danger signs in order to avoid finding themselves in bad situations. Asst. Chief Dominic Spada of the Halesite Fire Department will share  insights from emergencies he he has  responded to. Huntington Bay Police Chief Chris Jack will speak about the legal ramification of drug and underage alcohol use.

Strategies for living a drug and alcohol free lifestyle will also be discussed. A parent from the community who has lost a child to drug addiction will discuss the ongoing effects this has had on her family, and offer insight to other parents to help keep their own children from heading down the path to drug addiction.


That event will run from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday May 29 at the Halesite firehouse, 1 New York Ave., Halesite.

On Saturday, June 2, the Huntington Community First Aid Squad and Suffolk Legislator William “Doc” Spencer are leading a class on preventing opioid overdoses.

The training, which meets New York State Department of Health requirements, will enable participants to recognize an opioid overdose, administer intranasal naloxone and take additional steps until EMS arrives. Participants will receive a certificate of completion and an emergency resuscitation kit that includes intranasal naloxone.

The one-hour class will start at noon and will be held at the first aid squad, 2 Railroad St., Huntington Station.

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