CHOP meeting set for Thursday
This article was originally published in The Republic-Monitor by Robert Cox.
The Coalition for Heroin and Opioid Prevention will hold its second meeting Thursday at the Perry Park Center theater in Perryville.
The doors will open at 6:30 p.m and the program will start at 7 p.m.
According to Perryville Police Department spokesman and event organizer Cpl. Jeri Cain, this meeting will be slightly different than the one earlier in the summer and will feature two guest speakers.
“We’re bringing in Kathleen Capps to speak and give a victim impact statement on hoe heroin has impacted her family,” said Cain. “Her son overdosed 13 months ago.”
In addition, special guest Juan Wilson, a veteran detective with the St. Charles Police Department, will discuss the heroin problem in general.
“He’ll talk about what we’re seeing in this area,” Cain said, “and some of the proactive things we can be doing as a community to prevent [heroin abuse], to help those at risk and to help those that are currently using.”
A Task Force Officer with the Drug Enforcement Administration St. Louis Division since 2012, Wilson has spearheaded an effort to investigate deaths that resulted from the distribution and use of narcotics, more specifically heroin.
In May of 2015, the Eastern District of Missouri reviewed several of Wilson’s cases and indicted 4 defendants for their roles in the distribution of heroin that caused a death.
“He has a great knowledge base from what he’s seen as an undercover DEA agent,” Cain said. “He may talk about some of the cases he’s worked. I’m not sure how in-depth he’s going to go.”
Wilson works closely with families, local treatment centers, school districts, non-profit organizations, and community outreach groups by providing drug awareness and education.
His efforts have afforded him opportunities to participate in two ABC Nightline documentaries about the heroin epidemic in St. Louis and the surrounding area, local news airings on Fox 2 News, KMOV 4, KSDK 5, and KPLR 11, as well as several awareness videos on YouTube.
“Education and prevention are going to be the biggest components of curbing the heroin problem,” said Cain, who also serves as the police department’s D.A.R.E. officer, “and that’s the strategy we had in mind when we started CHOP.”
To that end, Wilson will also make presentations at Perry County Middle School and Perryville High School on Thursday morning. According to Cain, the group tried to schedule a presentation at St. Vincent as well, but scheduling proved to be a problem.
“They just had too much going on that day,” Cain said, “but we encourage them to come Thursday night.”
In an effort to encourage more attendance, Cain pointed out that this meeting will include activities and games for kids aged 5-12 in the gym during the event. Parents will be able to sign their kids in before the meeting and then sign them out after. Homework passes will be given to parents of middle school and high school parents who attend. Door prizes will also be awarded.
“We will have resources there for how to talk to your preschoolers, your elementary, all the way through high school, about heroin and opioids,” Cain said.
More information about the event is available on the Perryville Police Department’s Facebook page.