Beach House Hosts Monthly Gathering for Families Affected by Opiate Overdose
Beach House Center for Recovery is hosting a series of supportive, interactive discussions for families in the community impacted by opiate addiction on June 7, July 5 and August 2 at our Juno Beach treatment facility. (The first discussion took place Thursday, May 3, and drew a small but engaged group of participants.)
The Juno Beach Project C4OPE gathering, which meets on the first Thursday of every month and is free and open to the public with advance reservation, is an opportunity to connect with, learn from, and trade insights with families who have loved ones who have died from, survived, or are at risk of an opiate overdose.
“This is an opportunity for families that have been affected by loss in the opiate epidemic or any substance use disorder to come together and have some conversation and support, know that there’s a community out there that cares, and know that they’re not alone,” Micah Robbins said. Robbins, a member of the Beach House team, is helping to introduce and facilitate the discussions. “This is also an opportunity for sharing experiences in a public setting and reducing the stigma of addiction,” he added.
Building Community Around Treatment and Recovery
The Project C4OPE program is an initiative started by the Hanley Foundation, Florida’s largest provider of substance abuse prevention services for youth and families. Beach House is hosting the meetings in order to demonstrate its commitment to “building a sense of community around treatment and recovery,” according to Robbins.
“My goal is to really listen and talk about resources that have yet to be accessed,” Robbins said. “This is an ever-changing epidemic. The ultimate goal is not only to save lives but help those who have been affected.”
Beach House is one of a handful of private treatment providers in Palm Beach County that are working to address the opiate epidemic through creative partnerships within the community. One especially impactful partnership that is making a difference in closing the treatment gap and advocating for best practices in substance abuse care: the Palm Beach County Substance Awareness Coalition, which is also “the leader for county-wide substance prevention and a convener of community resources,” in Robbin’s words.
Why Your Participation Matters
Such partnerships couldn’t be more urgently needed in a runaway epidemic that is disproportionately hitting residents of Palm Beach County: Palm Beach County leads the state in opiate overdose deaths, with more than 600 recorded in 2017 alone and more than 5,000 total opioid overdoses recorded in 2016.
“I’m encouraging as many family members as possible to come,” Robbins said. “Any event’s value is really the people in the room. We’re doing this together and we want as many people there to show that our community is really collaborating. There are no silos in this work.”
The monthly series at Beach House is one of a number of regular meeting options available to families in the community, thanks to the Project C4OPE program. Other meeting locations include Belle Glade, Delray Beach, and West Palm Beach. Find a meeting in your area.
The meetings will be taking place from 6:30pm to 8pm on the first Thursday of every month in June, July and August, at Beach House Center for Recovery, which is located at 13321 US Hwy 1 in Juno Beach.
To reserve a spot for future meetings, we encourage you to RSVP in advance. We also invite you to explore more of how Beach House is supporting families affected by opiate addiction.