On Dec. 13, the Juneau-Stop Heroin, Start Talking Taskforce hosted a “Talk to Action” meeting. The purpose was to get policymakers and the community together and discuss how we can make a difference in the heroin epidemic in our community. Based on information provided from the Juneau Police Department, there are anywhere from 200-400 people using heroin daily in Juneau.
I want to thank the community for coming out, asking questions, sharing information and caring. I especially want to thank our terrific panel: Rep. Sam Kito, Rep. Cathy Munoz, JPD Chief Bryce Johnson, Rainforest Recovery’s Ricard Nault, Sen. Egan’s assistant Jesse Keihl, Juneau Public Health Center’s Claire Geldhof, Haven House’s Kara Nelson, City and Borough of Juneau Assembly member Loren Jones and NCADD executive director Katie Chapman. The panel had great insight, information and feedback to the community’s concerns.
Another big thank you to the people who made the meeting a success: Ann Nielsen, Donna Staton, Alexis Griffin and Janae Franklet.
This meeting is the first step in getting Juneau working together. We will be having another meeting in January and will continue working to stop heroin, addiction and overdose deaths in Juneau.
Michele Morgan
Juneau-Stop Heroin, Start Talking
