A Westshore Town Hall Meeting
On Wednesday, November 5 from 7-8:30 pm, Rocky River High School is hosting a Westshore Town Hall Meeting entitled “The Prescription Drug and Heroin Problem.” The meeting, which will be held in the Rocky River High School Auditorium, is free and open to the public.
The meeting will be in the form of a panel discussion, with members of law enforcement, the court system, and the schools represented.
The problem of heroin use and prescription drug abuse is on the rise everywhere, and that includes the Westshore communities of Rocky River, Westlake, Lakewood, North Olmsted, Bay Village, and Fairview Park. In fact, Detective Jeff Capretto, Special Agent in Charge of the Westshore Enforcement Narcotics Bureau, notes that 85-90% of crimes, from petty to serious, involve drug-addicted individuals. “The volume of people being arrested and charged is up,” says Detective Capretto, who has been working the Westshore area for 42 years, “but the incidents are at an all-time high.”
Detective Capretto, a member of November’s panel, sums up the need for the summit this way: “You can’t put handcuffs on the heroin problem.”
He elaborates, “it takes enforcement, prevention, and education to solve this problem and that’s why so many people from so many professions are putting our heads together. We are working as a team to do everything we can humanly do to make a difference.”
That means, he says, not only underscoring the importance of locking doors and cars to prevent theft, but telling young people that “this is not a path you want to go down.”
He has seen all sorts of people, young and old, wealthy and impoverished, take the path of heroin use. “’There but for the grace of God go I,’ I always say. Previously law-abiding citizens, just like you or I, will do anything to feed their habit.”
The Westshore Town Hall Meeting will address both prescription pills and heroin because the two are closely connected, explains Rocky River Chief of Police Kelly Stillman. “Anyone can get hooked on prescription drugs. It doesn’t matter where you live,” he says. “But it’s almost cost-prohibitive to get prescription drugs on the street. But heroin is cheap.”
Chief Stillman echoes Detective Capretto when he says, “A large part of what we run into, crime-wise, is drug-related, from petty thefts from stores of baby formula and meat to home invasions while the residents are home. A mind that’s altered by the need for a fix will resort to whatever method necessary.”
That’s why, he says, a community summit is valuable. He wants the community to know what we’re facing with the drug problem, and to teach people things to look for in terms of drug abuse in their loved ones. It’s a problem that simply cannot be ignored, he says, and “Kudos to Dr. Shoaf for having the foresight and vision [in arranging the summit] to make people aware of what’s going on.”
According to Judge Michael Astrab, of the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, those people who need to be aware include “parents, students and residents of all ages.” He continues, “Students should attend so they can learn how to avoid heroin, while their parents should attend to learn about the warning signs. No family is immune to the heroin epidemic.”
Judge Donna Congeni Fitzsimmons of the Rocky River Common Pleas Court agrees. “I have experience, and have for several years now, with the heroin epidemic, which is very significant in the suburbs,” she says. “I have parents who are literally beside themselves and shocked that their children are involved with heroin.
It’s a shocking thing, how much of a problem and how common it is. Even in very good families, very successful, ‘normal’—with quotes around it—families.” Judge Congeni Fitzsimmons continues, “I’ve seen these faces of these parents so much that I want to bring awareness to them that there are things they can do. The younger the child is, the better we are at addressing some of the things to be looking for in the kids.”
Judge Astrab agrees that the anti-heroin message needs to start young and be repeated. “By the time students get to high school,” he says, “they’ve heard many ‘Don’t Do Drugs’ talks. But what I want them and their parents to understand is that heroin is the absolute worst drug they can use. Heroin can hook you for life, and it can kill you.”
Judge Congeni Fitzsimmons has seen the anguish or heroin in her courtroom. “I wish I could open the doors of my courtroom so students and parents could come in even one day to see those kids who are addicted to heroin.”
Dr. Jon Fancher is a member of the Rocky River Board of Education who will assist fellow school board member Scott Swartz in moderating the panel. Dr. Fancher, who is also Pastor at Rocky River Presbyterian Church, agrees that raising awareness is a key virtue of the upcoming summit. “Although many, many people do not abuse meds or heroin, I believe there's a lot more of it occurring around us that we realize,” he says. Not only can the summit educate people to the extent of the drug problem in our area and others, but, Dr. Fancher adds, it can educate people about how incredibly easy drugs can be to come by. “I hope we address the ease of getting access to prescription medications and methods used (by students and adults) to obtain them. The goal of such awareness,” he continues, “would be to become more vigilant in guarding unauthorized access to the meds. I hope we address how "good people" can fall victim to prescription addictions.”
Moderator Scott E. Swartz, an attorney and also a member of the Rocky River Board of Education, agrees that the summit is a good opportunity for the community. “I like that our school district is taking a proactive approach to addressing what could be a worse problem in the future if the community is not educated on the issues involved and the prevention of substance abuse,” he says. “Personally it will be interesting for me to sit on a panel of professionals very knowledgeable in the field and help direct the collective conversation and interaction with audience to a good evening.”
Another of the panelists is Jay Milano, an attorney, parent, and the president of the Rocky River Board of Education. These roles give him a unique perspective on the topic of drug abuse as it relates to the schools and wider community. “As a parent, I share parents’ basic values,” Mr. Milano says. “What I bring [to the panel], however, are two totally separate points of view: first is what happens to a young person who finds himself in the court system. The second is the school board’s philosophy of the drug problem and how it relates to schools.” Mr. Milano hopes that the town meeting will accomplish, at its core, two main goals, “First, as it’s always been, heroin is as great a danger to children as exists. Second, everyone should be vigilant. The fact that heroin is not everywhere in Rocky River doesn’t lessen the vigilance it requires.” He summarizes, “the cost to a child is at best life-changing and at worst, life-ending.”
The ninety-minute meeting will feature opening presentations by experts in the field of prescription medication and heroin abuse, followed by brief remarks by members of the panel. After that, the presenters and panelists will respond to written questions submitted anonymously by audience members.
As for the goals of November 5th’s The Prescription Drug and Heroin Problem summit, Judge Astrab sums it up this way:
“As far as I’m concerned, this event will be successful if attendees learn three things: First of all, don’t start. Second, if you unfortunately do start, get help immediately. Last, if you see drug use or drug dealing, tell someone.”