ALBUQUERQUE – U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez and Richard Larson, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice Chancellor and Vice Chancellor of Research for UNM Health Sciences Center, will hold a press conference at 10:00 A.M. on FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016, to announce a new community education program under the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative partnership between the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The U.S. Attorney and Executive Vice Chancellor will be joined by community stakeholders who are collaborating with the HOPE Initiative partners to develop and implement education, prevention and intervention strategies to combat the heroin and opioid epidemic that is having devastating consequences in New Mexico.
WHO:
U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez
Richard Larson, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice Chancellor and Vice Chancellor of Research for UNM Health Sciences Center
Bernalillo County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins, District 3
City Councilor Diane Gibson, District 7
Ryan P. Cangiolosi, Chief Strategic Advisor, Office of Strategy and Engagement at the UNM Health Sciences Center
Asst. Special Agent in Charge Sean R. Waite, DEA Albuquerque District Office
Jennifer Weiss-Burke, Executive Director, Healing Addiction in our Community
Lou Duran, Prevention Specialist/Event Coordinator, Healing Addiction in our Community
WHEN:
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
10:00 a.m.
WHERE:
U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of New Mexico
201 Third Street NW
10th Floor Multi-Media Room (Reception on Ninth Floor)
Albuquerque, NM 87102
OPEN PRESS
NOTE: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (i.e., driver’s license) and valid media credentials. Media may begin to arrive at 9:45 a.m. MDT. Inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to Alyssa Ferda at 505-224-1480 or alyssa.ferda@usdoj.gov.
The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with Bernalillo County, the Albuquerque City Council, DEA, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC) and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico. The Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. The new community education program is part of the prevention and education component of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.