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The Town of Smithtown Horizons Counseling and Education Center

The Town of Smithtown Horizons Counseling and Education Center will mark September as Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Recovery Month with a Family Fun Wellness Event for the community. This free event that all ages can enjoy will be held on Friday, September 8 from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Branch Plaza Parking Lot (LA Fitness Shopping Center) on Main Street in Smithtown. All are welcome to attend to have fun with the community, get trained on the use of Narcan, and to hear about the drug and alcohol treatment and prevention services that Horizons provides.

The Family Fun Wellness Event will feature games, food trucks, face painting, a DJ, and much more. Horizons resource tables will be set up, filled with information about recovery services, the outpatient program, and substance misuse prevention education. Additionally, Horizons staff will provide Narcan training. Narcan training kits will be provided for free. Smithtown Public Safety will hold a Medicine Take Back Collection to encourage residents to safely dispose of unused medications.

“We at Horizons are excited to offer an event for Recovery Month to be a fun evening out for families of this community. Our Family Fun Wellness Fair will be an opportunity for families to meet community resources and local businesses, and dispose of medications that may be a risk for children and pets to ingest, all while kids get their face painted, listen to music played by the DJ and grab a bite to eat from a local food truck. Being a Recovery Month event, Horizons will be providing Narcan training as an offering to any who are interested. Narcan is a simple and easy to administer method to save the life of a person experiencing an opioid overdose. Recovery is a process of returning to a normal state of being and we know that can mean many things to different people in their individual situations and circumstances. Come down and experience what our resources have to offer and have a good time out in your local neighborhood,” said Joe Bieniewicz, Director of Drug and Alcohol Counseling Services

The rain date for this event is Sunday, September 9th from 4 to 7 p.m..

About Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Recovery Month:

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Recovery Month is a national observance held every September to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the emergence of a strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and community members across the nation who make recovery in all its forms possible.

The Town of Smithtown Horizons Counseling and Education Center will mark International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Recovery Month by holding a Narcan training event for the community. On Thursday, August 31 from noon to 1 p.m.  there will be a free Narcan training seminar in the Community Room of Horizons Counseling and Education Center, located at 161 E. Main Street in Smithtown.

“Our communities are living in a time that fatal and non-fatal overdose has affected each individual directly or in-directly. Everyone knows someone who has overdosed either personally or through a friend, family member, co-worker or acquaintance. With Fentanyl infecting our communities; awareness, prevention, treatment, policy and stigma relevant to loss of life involving the drug, are all examples of the importance of International Overdose Awareness Day and what the campaign targets throughout the world. At Horizons, we understand the effect overdose has on the person and their loved ones. Narcan is a lifesaving drug that can reverse opioid overdose and training like the one we are offering is valuable to the public in recognizing the signs and symptoms of and responding to overdose. Narcan administration is a simple method of emergency response that carries an immense lifesaving result,” said  Joe Bieniewicz, Director of Drug and Alcohol Counseling Services’

On International Overdose Awareness Day, people and communities come together to raise awareness of one of the world’s most urgent public health crises – one that, unfortunately, is only getting worse. Having an outpatient drug and alcohol agency right in the township is an asset for the community. Additionally, learning the signs of an overdose can help save a life. The IOAD 2023 theme of “Recognizing those people who go unseen” is about acknowledging people in our communities who are affected by overdose but might go unseen in the crisis.

Narcan kits will be provided for free. Horizons Counseling and Education Center resource tables will be set up around the training area, filled with information about recovery services, the outpatient program and substance misuse prevention education. All are welcome to attend to get trained and to hear about the drug and alcohol treatment and prevention services that Horizons provides.

Space is limited and on a first come first serve basis. Residents can reserve space by scanning the QR code on the flier, contacting Horizons Counseling and Education Center at (631) 360-7578, via email at [email protected], or by registering online at https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ejw82n5fab29a8f3&oseq=&c=&ch=.

The Town of Smithtown Horizons Counseling and Education Center and Smithtown Youth Bureau, in conjunction with the 4th Precinct of the Suffolk County Police Department, launched the 5th Annual Pizza Box Top and Sticker Shock campaign on Friday, April 30th. This youth-led initiative works to educate and change adult attitudes regarding providing or selling alcohol to minors. Eight youth volunteers devoted their Friday afternoon to adhering a total of 1950 prevention stickers to carry-out bags at participating pizzerias and local Wine & Spirits shops.

“This is the fifth year we are holding this event. It is a great way to discuss the importance of preventing underage drinking to our community members. We hope the underage drinking prevention stickers help to open a dialogue in families that may not have happened without it. The young people, liquor stores and the pizzerias involved are wonderful to work with and very committed to our Township. Working in partnership with the Town’s Youth Bureau gives opportunity for some of their registered student volunteers to play an active, empowering role in educating peers and neighbors, and improving the health of their community.” – Kelly DeVito- Youth Services Coordinator, Horizons Counseling and Education Center

Four youth volunteers participated in the Pizza Box Top event, adhering 1,450 prevention messaging stickers on carry out bags at local Pizzerias;  Mema’s in Commack, Branchinellis in Hauppauge, Mama’s Brick Oven in Hauppauge, and Buona Sera in Smithtown. Four youth volunteers participated in this year’s Sticker Shock campaign, adhering 500 prevention stickers on carry out bags from Figari’s Liquor and Wine store and YM Liquor and Wine Store. A total of 1,950 carry-out bag were branded with prevention stickers which read; Your Decisions Matter- Preventing underage drinking is everyone’s responsibility,

Suffolk County Police Department 4th precinct Cope officers, LaVeglia and Dono gave a presentation to the volunteers about the social host law, underage drinking and the dangers of marijuana prior to the awareness activity. The New York social host law can impose liability on a social host who provides alcohol to an adult (21 years of age or older) should that person become intoxicated and cause injury to another person as a result of that intoxication.

DID YOU KNOW:

Alcohol is the most widely abused drug by young people.

During these times when more people are spending time at home, alcohol use is increasing.

For more information on this and future youth empowerment programs, contact Kelly DeVito at Smithtown Horizons Counseling & Education Center at (631)360-7578 or Stacey Sanders at the Smithtown Youth Bureau at (631) 360-7595.

Photo courtesy of Horizons