April 10-11, 2016 Events Featuring Sam Quinones, Author of “Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic,” Hosted by Healing Addiction in our Communities (HAC), Bernalillo County, UNM Health Sciences Center
ALBUQUERQUE – The community is invited to attend a free book signing and keynote address by Sam Quinones, acclaimed author of “Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic” this Monday, April 11, 2016, at the African American Performing Arts Center. Doors open at 5:00 pm at the center, located at 310 San Pedro Drive NE at Expo New Mexico.
New Mexico faces a major public health and public safety crisis, a true epidemic of heroin and opioid addiction that is tearing families apart, draining public resources, creating a new generation of addicts, and leading to an unprecedented number of overdose deaths. Although medical science and law enforcement have key roles in responding to this crisis, treatment and prosecution are not enough. A coalition comprised of Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), Bernalillo County and 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 (collectively, the Coalition) is working to create and implement new strategies for education, prevention and intervention to turn the tide against this epidemic.
The Coalition has come together to provide two days of community education and awareness through a series of events in Albuquerque featuring Sam Quinones, acclaimed author of “Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic,” a book that recounts the personal journeys of addicts, drug traffickers, doctors, pharmaceutical executives, law enforcement officers, and the many families affected by the disease of addiction. “Dreamland” helps us understand how prescription painkillers spawned a new generation of heroin addicts and how heroin traveled from Mexico to Santa Fe and Española. The book offers hope for a better future.
During the community education and awareness events, which are described below, Sam Quinones will join members of the Coalition and the community as we look back over the past five years in New Mexico, share the journey and results of our efforts, and discuss where we are today and our hopes for the future. Sam Quinones and Coalition members will be participating in the events described below, some of which are open to the media.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Scalo Northern Italian Grill
A “meet and greet” reception for Sam Quinones will be hosted by Scalo Northern Italian Grill. This event is sold-out and is not open to the media.
Monday, April 11, 2016
6:30 am – 8:00 am
KRQE-TV
Sam Quinones, U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez and Bernalillo County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins will be guests on KRQE This Morning.
9:15 am – 10:00 am
KNME-TV/New Mexico PBS
Sam Quinones will be interviewed by Megan Kamerick for KNME’s New Mexico in Focus program that will air on a date to be announced in the near future.
10:30 am – 11:00 am
Serenity Mesa Youth Recovery Center
Sam Quinones and HAC Executive Director Jennifer Weiss-Burke will tour Serenity Mesa Youth Recovery Center, a sober living facility for adolescents and young adults ages 14-21 who are struggling with addiction. This event is not open to the media.
12:00 pm – 12:30 pm
UNM Domenici Auditorium
Domenici Center for Health Sciences Education
1001 Stanford Drive NE
University of New Mexico
Chancellor Paul B. Roth of the UNM Health Sciences Center and Dean Lynda Welage of the UNM College of Pharmacy will host a ceremony during which FBI Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade will present the 2015 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award to the UNM College of Pharmacy for its outstanding contribution to preventing drug abuse through its “Generation Rx” education and community awareness program. Sam Quinones, U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Bernalillo County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins, HAC Executive Director Jennifer Weiss-Burke and DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Sean R. Waite will attend the ceremony.
This event is OPEN PRESS. Inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to Frank Fisher at 505-889-1438 (office), 505-681-8906 (cell).
12:30 pm – 1:45 pm
UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center
Chancellor Paul B. Roth and the UNM Health Sciences Center, as part of the New Mexico HOPE Initiative, will host Sam Quinones at a luncheon and informal meet and greet to discuss the opioid epidemic afflicting New Mexico. Participants will include U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Bernalillo County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins, HAC Executive Director Jennifer Weiss-Burke, FBI Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade, DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Sean R. Waite and other representatives from HAC, Bernalillo County, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, DEA and FBI. This event is not open to the media.
5:00 pm – 8:30 pm
African American Performing Arts Center
Expo New Mexico
310 San Pedro Drive NE
Sam Quinones will deliver a keynote address at 6:30 p.m., followed by a roundtable discussion that will be moderated by Emmy Award winning documentary producer Chris Schueler. Doors will open at 5:00 pm, with a book signing at 5:30 pm. The event will conclude at 8:30 pm following closing remarks by Bernalillo Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins. Refreshments will be served. THIS EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
The following individuals will participate in the roundtable discussion:
HAC – Executive Director Jennifer Weiss-Burke
APS –Susan McKee, Counseling Manager, Prevention/Intervention
U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez
DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Sean R. Waite
UNM Health Sciences Center – Dr. Joanna Katzman, Director, UNM Pain Center
Bernalillo County – Bill Wiese
Dreamland Author – Sam Quinones
This event is OPEN PRESS. Inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to Alyssa Ferda at 505-224-1480 or alyssa.ferda@usdoj.gov.
A public service announcement and a GovTV segment of “Conversations with the Commissioner” regarding the main Dreamland event may be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lo1RJasPd4 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1pFsODGjao.
Healing Addiction in Our Community (HAC) is a non-profit organization that was founded 6 years ago by a group of concerned parents and grandparents. HAC is dedicated to providing education and awareness to our community about the heroin and opiate epidemic that plagues our state. HAC provides the voices for those who have lost their lives to addiction and for those who continue to struggle.
Bernalillo County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins is proud to sponsor this community outreach effort and promote more awareness of heroin and opioid abuse in New Mexico. Commissioner Hart Stebbins is the driving force behind the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, collective impact strategy working to align the activities of government, nonprofit, healthcare, law enforcement, and community leaders to strengthen systems that address the use and abuse of prescription opioids and heroin.
The New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (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 and because the consequences of heroin and opioid use affect all New Mexicans by impacting public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. 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 HOPE Initiative comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
