Ward Melville High School. Photo by Greg Catalano

The Three Village Drug & Alcohol Awareness Program will host an open Q&A forum with two guest speakers Thursday, Jan. 25, at The Bates House.

Heather Reilly, certified drug and alcohol counselor for the Three Village Central School District, will be on hand to answer parents’ questions about services provided for students and parents in the Three Village schools.

Also attending the meeting will be Lauren Grady, a private practice clinician and social work investigator for the New York State Department of Health, who works at B.E.S.T. PLLC located in Deer Park. The facility is planning to open another location on Technology Drive in Setauket, tentatively late February or early March.

B.E.S.T. treats those 18 and older and provides counseling for family members who have a loved one addicted to alcohol or drugs. Grady will answer questions regarding the facility coming to the Three Village area. She will discuss the national and local epidemic of substance abuse, the barriers and obstacles present in identifying and receiving treatment, various treatment modalities and options, and the mobilization of resources to reach and treat those afflicted by this issue.

The meeting will be held at 1 Bates Road, Setauket, at 7 p.m. Jan. 25. For more information, call 631-689-7054. To speak confidentially with a certified alcohol and substance abuse counselor, call Merrit Hartblay at 516-852-8478.