DRUG ABUSE SUMMIT GATHERS PRESTIGIOUS PANEL OF SPEAKERS TO DISCUSS SOLUTIONS TO DRUG PANDEMIC
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and Hanley Center present event as free community service
(WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.) Hanley Center and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office joined forces recently to co-present their first annual Palm Beach County Drug Abuse Summit on Tuesday, December 3. Presented as a free community service and open to the public, the event attracted an audience of nearly 150 people to the HanleyResource Center auditorium. Covering a wide range of provocative topics, the Summit was broken down into four separate panel discussions – each exploring the drug abuse pandemic from a different perspective.
“The Palm Beach County Drug Abuse Summit’s mission is to effectively restrict the impact of the prescription and synthetic drug pandemic and its far-reaching effects through common awareness, communication and networking within our communities locally, regionally and nationally,” said Dr. Rachel Docekal, CEO of Hanley Center Foundation and vice president of external relations for Caron Treatment Centers. “We are grateful to these esteemed leaders who participated in this important event and hope that it incites a continued impactful discussion of issues and solutions.”
The Summit’s criminal justice/law and order panel featured: Eric Coleman, captain, Narcotics Division, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office; Mike Gauger, chief deputy, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office; Norman Hemming, special counsel, U.S. Attorney’s Office; and John J. McKenna, assistant special agent in charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, Ft. Lauderdale District Office.
Lori Berman, Florida House of Representatives, District 90; Todd Bonlarron, director of legislative affairs, Palm Beach County; Dave Kerner, Florida House of Representatives, District 87; Jeri Muoio, mayor, City of West Palm Beach; and Curt Siegmeister, regional representative, Governor Rick Scott’s Office led the panel of legislative representatives and elected officials.
A medical and pharmaceuticals expert panel included Dr. Antonella Carlozzi, pharmacist; Dr. Barbara Krantz, medical director, Hanley Center; Dr. Karen Flannery, Good Samaritan Medical Center; Dr. Jessica Prince, Palm Beach Children’s Hospital and St. Mary’s Medical Center; and Dr. Mark Rubenstein, former president, Palm Beach County Medical Society.
Finally, Diane Huff, director of operations, 211 Helpline; Jeff Kadel, executive director, Palm Beach County Substance Abuse Coalition; Michelle Maloney, executive director of treatment services, Hanley Center; Gary Martin, detective, Palm Beach County Sherriff’s Office and dean of students, Lynn University; and Karen Perry, executive director, NOPE Task Force wrapped up the day to represent the public health/community outreach panel.
Hanley Center is a nonprofit residential substance abuse treatment center established by the Hanley family as a community resource nearly 30 years ago. Mary Jane and Jack Hanley started with the goal of bringing quality substance abuse treatment to the southeast. The community rallied behind them to initially build Hanley Center, and it has become a vital community pillar and national trailblazer for the recovery industry in the years since. HanleyCenter has led the treatment industry as a pioneer– with older adult and boomer programs setting a hallmark for effective treatment and the industry standard for treating those populations today.
Together, Caron and Hanley Treatment Centers comprise the largest and most comprehensive nonprofit addiction treatment provider in the country, focused on a 12-Step recovery program with a powerful clinical component. In South Florida, Caron and Hanley Treatment Centers operate lifesaving addiction treatment centers at Hanley Center,Caron Ocean Drive and Caron Renaissance in Palm Beach County; and Gate Lodge in Vero Beach. For more information on Caron and Hanley Treatment Centers, or future local events, please call or visit .
Photo Credit: LILA PHOTO