Al-Anon meetings in Mokena and New Lenox; an active response to Will County HELPS

Mokena Al-Anon meets at 7 p.m. Mondays at Old Plank Trail Bank, 20012 Wolf Road. New Lenox Al-Anon meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at 508 N. Cedar Road, lower level.

Part V: Heroin Addiction can be Avoided and Overcome; Will County Drug Court Proves its Case.

As part of the Will County HELPS symposium on heroin, State's Attorney James Glasgow addressed a packed house talking about the proven success of Drug Court.

Normally the Little Theater at Lincoln-Way Central High School is full of parents, grandparents and friends watching on-stage student performances. On one particular evening, the regular crowd filed in and sat down as usual. This time, however, it wasn't about applauding achievements. It was about preventing tragedy and saving lives. On Sept. 27, the Will County HELPS symposium on heroin packed the house with community members desperately seeking information about the drug that in decades past was associated with the dangerous margins of society and how it's become trendy and chic. It's the new heroin; it's more potent, cheap, easily accessible and flourishing as an underground capitalistic market that's driven by gangs. Will County State'…

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Part IV: The Number of Heroin Fatalities is Rising Exponentially, from five in 2009 to 33 so far in 2012.

Will County Coroner Patrick O'Neil calls his office, the last stop on the line.

A panelist at the Will County HELPS symposium on heroin use Sept. 27 at Lincoln-Way Central High School, Will County Coroner Patrick O'Neil told a packed house when it comes to heroin, there are outcomes: The reason for such a surge in the popularity of heroin use, he said, is purity and ease in preparation. "You don't have to cook it." It's not boiled on a spoon before its injected, he said. Readers might also care to read about the focus on prevention. Apparently heroin has managed to kick a reputation earned in decades past as a drug associated with a lifestyle lived on the margins of society. Today heroin is characterized as trendy. And that's exactly the image that the gangs want to promote. If trendy and upscale don't hook enough …

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Part III: Will County Circuit Judge Ray Nash Battles the Heroin Epidemic with Grit and Commitment

At only $8-to-$10 for a hit of heroin, teens are getting addicted fast and finding themselves in front of a stern judge who's looking to save their lives.

Will County Circuit Judge Ray Nash doesn't mind being considered tough or rough in the eyes of those who come before him on a heroin related charge. Nash joined a panel discussion Sept. 27 at Will County HELPS symposium on heroin at Lincoln-Way Central High School. He told a crowd of 450-plus that he will do everything in his power to beat back the silent killer, heroin, from robbing the current generation of teens and young adults of productive lives. Heroin is no longer a drug reserved for the back alley; it's accessible and plentiful in the suburbs. A former prosecutor for the Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow's Office, Nash took the lead as chief of the gang crimes division some 25 years ago. In those days, "we were behind" on …

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Part II: Will County HELPS Symposium on Heroin Use Addresses Education and Awareness

Kathleen Burke, of the Robert Crown Center for Health Education, in Hinsdale, addresses a crowd of 450-plus at the Will County HELPS Symposium about effective education and communication. The key here is ongoing communication.

Having spent years working to educate youngsters on healthy eating, human reproduction, puberty, tobacco, and alcohol and drug prevention, Kathleen Burke, of the Robert Crown Center for Health Education, told a crowd Sept. 27 at Lincoln-Way Central High School's Lee F. Rosenquist Auditorium that "the heroin epidemic has been a huge challenge." New Lenox community members packed the auditorium for the Will County HELPS symposium about heroin. The program was organized and sponsored by the Village of New Lenox and the New Lenox Police Department.  The reasons for the spike in use of heroin, which is far more potent than it was in decades past, include the availability of drugs and social anxiety. At the same time, many of those who fall prey…

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Will County HELPS Symposium on Heroin Scores Big with Parents

Part I: Between 450-500 people packed Lincoln-Way Central High School to participate in Will County HELPS, a symposium on heroin and the trail of devastation it leaves behind. The number of fatalities due to drug overdoses has rise from five in 2009 to

From teens to grandparents, a judge, a doctor and law enforcement along with Will County and Village officials, one after the other stood Thursday to talk about a tragedy of epidemic proportions. More than 450 people packed Lincoln-Way Central High School's Lee F. Rosenquist Auditorium for the Will County HELPS Symposium on Heroin. In the aftermath of the tragic death of at least three teens in New Lenox in the past year, Mayor Tim Baldermann teamed up with village law enforcement officials to organize the Will County HELPS (Heroin Education Leads to Preventative Solutions) symposium, which featured an hour-long resource fair before the formal presentation. This community forum is a response to what has become a "public health crisis," …

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Will County HELPS, a Heroin Education Presentation, Tonight at Lincoln-Way Central

Will County Coroner Patrick O'Neil states that drug overdoses are second only to car accidents as the cause of teen deaths.

New Lenox Deputy Police Chief Bob Pawlisz reflected on the rise in popularity of heroin use in the village. In the late '60s and '70s this kind of thing was popular,he said. Drug overdoses were a common occurrence. Then the use of heroin faded and seemed to shift to other forms of illegal drugs. But in the past couple years, heroin has re-emerged. There has been a distinct rise in the number of drug overdoses specifically due to heroin.  Heroin use is a problem in New Lenox and the surrounding communities, he said. In light of recent arrests involving heroin, New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann and New Lenox Police are encouraging community members to attend a presentation that has received wide acclaim in communities throughout suburban …

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Dad: Heroin Epidemic ‘More Than a Crime’

Will County officials joined a rally last weekend to spread awareness about the devastating effects of heroin use.

From health care professionals to social workers to teachers and parents, about 400 people turned out Friday for an event aimed at stemming an epidemic that’s claimed 205 lives in Will County since 1999. This year alone, Will County Coroner Pat O’Neil said there have been another 10 heroin-related deaths. John Roberts, co-founded of the HERO (Heroin Epidemic Relief Organization) Foundation, spoke about losing his son, Billy, to the drug at age 19 in 2009. A retired Chicago police captain, Roberts said treatment, education and prevention — not prosecution — are the answers to solving the heroin problem. “This is an illness,” he said. “It’s more than a crime — it’s a health epidemic. It’s a serious, serious illness. Treat it as that.” The …

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Dads Aim to Tackle Heroin Epidemic

'HERO HELPS' unites a grassroots organization with Will County in the face of increasing use of the drug and alarming overdose statistics. A rally April 13 aims to spread awareness of the growing problem.

Two Homer Glen fathers are turning their tragic losses into an effort to fight back against a heroin epidemic that's quickly spreading across the Chicago suburbs. On Friday, April 13, they’ll join a Will County initiative to spread awareness of the growing heroin problem during a daylong event at Lewis University in Romeoville. The HERO HELPS event will feature expert guest speakers in the fields of law enforcement, addiction treatment, and education and prevention. The day will culminate in a youth rally featuring area bands and young people who will speak out about their own experiences with the increasingly deadly drug. Lemont Police Chief Kevin Shaughnessy attended the rally last year in Homer Glen. In the first seven weeks of 2012 …

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Fatal Heroin Overdoses Spur County Action

Last week, the county launched a public awareness campaign called Heroin Education Leads to Preventative Solutions, or Will County Helps. The group is working on a blueprint to provide information to schools and parents across the county.

A growing number of fatal heroin overdoses, and a rise in teen use in particular, has Will County officials reaching out to create awareness. Last week, the county launched a public awareness campaign called Heroin Education Leads to Preventative Solutions, or Will County Helps. The group is working on a blueprint to provide information to schools and parents across the county. “This is an issue of tremendous concern,” State Attorney spokesman Chuck Pelkie, said to Shorewood Patch. “This is no longer the junkie shooting up in a basement. High school teens have access to it and it is the drug of choice for teens from affluent families and communities.” According to the county coroner, there were 28 heroin-related deaths in 2011. So far in …

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