Several leading local organizations are teaming up to co-host the annual Palm Beach County Drug Abuse Summit on Tuesday, Dec. 1. Taking place at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience in Jupiter, the third annual event, “Society’s Stigma: Addiction and Mental Illness,” will explore the current state of mental health and drug abuse in the local community.
The free discussion is open to the public, thanks to co-hosts the Hanley Center Foundation, the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation. Florida Power & Light Company is the event’s presenting sponsor.
“We are delighted to serve again as the host location for the Drug Abuse Summit,” Max Planck Foundation CEO Barbara Suflas Noble said. “Last year’s full house proved the need for this discussion is important and ongoing.”
The half-day discussion, which begins at 9 a.m., includes prominent members of the healthcare and law enforcement communities, scientists, elected officials, educators and other community leaders.
“The Drug Abuse Summit’s mission is to continue an important and timely discussion about substance abuse and mental illness within our communities locally, regionally and nationally,” said Kae Jonsons, CEO of the Hanley Center Foundation. “It aligns perfectly with our foundation’s mission to provide substance abuse prevention and education programs for parents, caregivers and school-age children. We are grateful to our co-hosts and panel participants for making time for this significant platform.”
The event will include three different panel topics, with several participants in each panel. Sarah Alsofrom is serving as volunteer chair for the event and has helped secure relevant and interesting panel participants.
The summit’s first panel topic is “Overcoming the Stigma: Has Progress Been Made?” The second topic is “Helping or Hurting? The role of the media, law enforcement, government, healthcare and the education system on addiction and mental illness.” The final topic will be “Where do we go from here?” In this panel, experts in the fields of government, law enforcement, community outreach will discuss new steps and initiatives.
The Palm Beach County Drug Abuse Summit is presented as a free public service. A complimentary light breakfast will be served, and reservations are required. For more information, or to RSVP, call (561) 841-1212 or visit www.hanleycenterfoundation.org/summit.
ABOVE: (L-R) Volunteer Chair Sarah Alsofrom, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Michael Gauger, Max Planck Florida Foundation CEO Barbara Suflas Noble, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and Hanley Center Foundation CEO Kae Jonsons.
