Education key to opioid, heroin epidemic
Dear Neighbors,
Recently, at a joint meeting of Kettering City Council & Kettering Board of Education, we launched a community education effort called Kettering: Facing the Epidemic. The opioid and heroin epidemic isn’t just something we hear about happening around the country. It is here. It is real. It is impacting our region, our city, our neighborhoods and our Kettering families.
The key to addressing this crisis is educating the Kettering community about both the realities and the impact of this epidemic. Addiction knows no geographic or socioeconomic boundaries. The rapid escalation of overdoses and related incidents has changed the way our first responders, schools, health care and service providers operate day to day. This epidemic is devastating our community, and we must all work together to help those in need.
We want you to know that the city of Kettering and the Kettering City Schools are committed to leading the way. Together we created a series of educational videos that share the facts about the widespread and tragic nature of the epidemic, updates on what the city and schools are doing to address the crisis, and advice from experts about what you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones. The videos and a directory of resources are available on our website, ketteringoh. org/facing-the-epidemic.
We have members of our city and school leadership available to visit your Kettering business, service club, parent organization or church to give a presentation on this critical topic. You can call our city manager’s office at 937-296-2412 to schedule a presentation.
Do you know the facts about the opiate and heroin epidemic in Kettering? The statistics are frightening. We can no longer ignore the crisis happening in our own community. Take time to visit our website, watch the education videos and explore the resources available for those in need.
Please do your part to help Kettering face this epidemic. We are all in this together.