WMU-Cooley Law School's Lansing campus will host, "Silence Equals Death: How the Heroin Epidemic is Driving Change in Perception, Treatment, & the Law," 6 to 9 p.m., Thursday, March 19, in the Cooley Center lobby, 300 S. Capitol Ave., Lansing.
The program will explore the new recovery advocacy movement, how the heroin epidemic is fueling its growth and effectiveness and the resulting changes in public perception, policy and the law. It will feature a screening of the acclaimed documentary film, "The Anonymous People."
Following the film, WMU-Cooley Professor Lauren Rousseau will moderate a panel discussion with The Hon. Jodi Debbrecht Switalski, who presides over the 51st District Sobriety Court and is co-founder of RADEO (Regional Anti-Drug Education & Outreach); Andre Johnson, president and CEO of the Detroit Recovery Project; Erica Clute-Cubbin, business development and contract management specialist for Meridian Health Services and the Oakland County regional champion president of Families Against Narcotics; and Dr. Mark Menestrina, physician specializing in addiction medicine, as well as former medical director for Bright Center for Recovery, Southeast Michigan Community Alliance and Personalized Nursing Lighthouse.
"The growing attention to this issue by the media and the public is leading to a changed perception of addiction generally, as well as increasing demands for public policy and legislative changes to recognize addiction as a disease and ensure treatment availability," Rousseau said.
The event is free and open to the public. To reserve a seat, email rousseal@cooley.edu.
Published: Mon, Mar 02, 2015
