Press Release
Nassau Alcohol Crime Drug Abatement Coalition
Submitted by Stephanie Basey
Director of Youth Mental Health First Aid, Project Aware
June 8, 2017 1:30 p.m.
NACDAC Medical Director, Dr. Penny Ziegler, and NACDAC’s Heroin and Opioid Taskforce will present an informative workshop on the current local epidemic of opioid drug use and drug overdose deaths. This workshop is open to all community members and will be held in the Nassau Room of Florida State College at Jacksonville—Nassau Campus on Thursday, June 20th from 5:30-7:00.
“This nation-wide and local epidemic of opioid drug use and addiction is different from previous waves of heavy substance abuse. It affects all ages (from children to senior citizens), and all socioeconomic and ethnic groups. And using these drugs is much more likely to result in overdose and death. Disturbingly, Nassau County has one of the top five highest rates of prescriptions in Florida.” Dr. Ziegler will present the current drug trends and provide an explanation for why todays drugs have such a high risk of overdose.
There will be a focus on strategies to prevent inappropriate drug use, drug abuse and overdose; and the use of naloxone (Narcan ®), an opioid blocker, to reverse overdoses and save lives.
Board-certified in General and Addiction Psychiatry and in Addiction Medicine, Dr. Ziegler joined NACDAC as medical director in early 2017. A goal of NACDAC’s Heroin and Opioid Taskforce is reducing the overall impact of addiction and usage associated with heroin and opioids in Nassau County. Please contact Deborah Babin at 904-277-3699 or [email protected] for more information or to reserve your spot for the workshop.