Anyone can be a hero and join the efforts to end the opioid crisis. That will be the focus when Wilkes University and the Pennsylvania Harm Reduction Coalition partner to host an Opioid Advocacy Forum on Nov. 14. Devin Reaves, executive director and co-founder of the coalition, will lead the forum. The event takes place from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Henry Student Center Ballroom, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre. Pizza will be served. The training is free and open to the public but advance registration is required. To register, go to wilkeshero.eventbrite.com.
The forum and the coalition’s HERO Initiative provide attendees with actionable steps to advocate for policy change and the skills to be part of helping to enact progressive change in Pennsylvania for individuals impacted by the opioid epidemic.
Attendees will gain knowledge on the basics of harm reduction and what is meant by the spectrum of recovery and will discover how a bill is introduced and becomes law and what that means for advocating new policy for those dealing with addiction. Attendees also will learn about the different ways to initiate a conversation with legislators.
Reaves is a community organizer and grassroots advocacy leader. He has worked on the expansion of access to Naloxone, implantation of 911 Good Samaritan policies and the development of youth-oriented systems. Reaves earned his master’s degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice with a focus on community and organizational change and has a bachelor’s degree in human services from Lynn University. Reaves also serves on the Camden County Addiction Awareness Task Force and the board of directors for the Association of Recovery Schools.
The mission of the Pennsylvania Harm Reduction Coalition is to promote the health, dignity and human rights of individuals who use drugs and communities impacted by drug use. Recognizing that social inequity, criminalization and stigma silence those affected most, the organization advocates for policies that improve the quality of life for people who use drugs, people in recovery and their communities.
The event is being produced in partnership with Wilkes University’s Nesbitt School of Pharmacy as part of student pharmacists’ work in the Generation Rx program of the American Pharmacists Association. The mission of Generation Rx is to educate people of all ages about the potential dangers of misusing prescription medications.
