Heroin in Rockingham County

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Our communities, like so many in Southern New Hampshire, have been rocked recently by the rise in the use of drugs like heroin. Recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data show that no family in our school is immune to this deadly addiction. This past summer, the Sanborn Regional School District, with support from community organizations like the Greater Derry Public Health Network, Southern Rockingham Coalition for Healthy Youth (SoROCK), and SAFE Sanborn, applied for and was granted a $100,000.00 two-year renewable grant for the hiring of a full-time Student Assistance Counselor who will work with families at both SRMS and SRHS. We are currently in the interview process for this position and hope to have someone on staff in just a few short weeks.
 
A Student Assistance Counselor is knowledgeable in areas such as child and adolescent development (to include mental health and substance abuse issues), substance abuse prevention, working with children of substance abusers, facilitating individual and group sessions, and maintaining positive school, parent, and community relationships. A Student Assistance Counselor has graduated from a college or university with a Master’s Degree in Social Work or Counseling, and is fairly proficient in realm of substance abuse prevention, intervention and treatment.

The addition of a Student Assistance Counselor at SRHS and SRMS is going to allow us to make a huge leap as a District in our ability to enhance our substance abuse prevention efforts and provide a network of resources and support for students and families who are struggling with addiction. This focus has been a longtime coming for our community.

I would like to personally thank two community members who, for the past several years, have been going above-and-beyond the call of duty to help our community cope with addiction. Pam Santa Fe, of the Greater Derry Public Heath Network, has been instrumental in helping us run programming and write the grant for the new SAC position. Charlotte Scott, a Sanborn parent and community member, started SAFE Sanborn and has been very active in community organizations that have assisted the school in its efforts to provide drug and alcohol education and awareness to our community as well as support efforts to eliminate bullying in our schools. Pam and Charlotte are just two examples of how volunteers can make a big impact in our community.

No one is immune to the threat of a drug like heroin. As a parent with children in neighboring Plaistow, I share your concerns and fears as parents. We must band together. On December 10, our school will be hosting a regional forum, an open discussion on heroin. I hope you will take time out of your busy schedule to join us. For the sake of ALL OF OUR KIDS, I hope to see you there. More information on the forum is provided below:
 
 

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