InterCoast:

Tell me about the event

 Judy Redman:

Very excited about this event because it’s introducing the Opioid Crisis and what we can do about it.  Jodi Barber is coming to talk about the various activist groups. There are a lot of things that are happening, like the homeless population and how we can assist them.  There are a lot of missing kids right now, due to the opioid crisis, and we have parents, they’re called Peanut Butter Sandwich Parents, they go out on the streets looking for these kids.  They bring sandwiches out to on the streets and make friends with the street people and bring photos of their missing kids, and getting them into treatment or getting them back home. That’s just one of many things that are going on, that’s how desperate it is in Orange County. Jodi Barber has a film on this very problem and combating this problem, including politically, and getting laws changed. That is Jodi’s piece we will be showing, and then we have The Drug Free Anaheim. Colin Womer, he was one of the people out on the riverbed, getting the homeless into treatment, he asked me the other day of we had another seat so the Mayor could come. So we are hoping that the Mayor of Anaheim will be there to say a few words about the opioid crisis and what’s happening in Orange County.

InterCoast:

Who will the prominent people present or participate in the event?

 Judy Redman:

Jodi Barber, Mayor of Anaheim, Colin Womer

InterCoast:

Why is the event so important to the community?

Judy Redman:

The opioid crisis in Orange County and the deaths of these children, what we are standing on is “Not One More Death” we don’t want to see another child dead, and it’s 3 or 4 a week. And this mother, Jodi Barber, she gets calls, a constant barrage of calls from parents who don’t know where their kids are, who have lost their children, who are trying to get their children into treatment who cant afford it, it’s a horrible problem. We need the public awareness of this because there are things that we can all do. One of the things people can do is go back to school! If they are passionate about this enroll in school and become a drug and alcohol counselor. It’s perfect were at the school sign up!

InterCoast:

How serious is the drug and alcohol abuse issue in the US?

Judy Redman:

It is serious enough that the President of the United States is noticing it.

InterCoast:

What is ICC role in the event?

Judy Redman:

InterCoast is gracious enough to host this for us, and allow the community to come and use the facility because InterCoast has always cared about, has always had a heart for the addiction community.  Rarely do they turn their doors away when someone comes to them and wants to do an event.

InterCoast:

How do you hope the event will support drug and alcohol abuse prevention?

Judy Redman:

This is an Educational and inspirational event

InterCoast:

What else are you doing to partner with Intercoast to educate the community and encourage a drug-free community?

Judy Redman:

I am a long-term educator for the addiction community training alcohol and drug counselors. One of the things that I do, because I am an itemizer for the ICMRC exam, is I give free trainings to the InterCoast college population so that they can confidently take their state exams and be comfortable with it.  And we have a wonderful success rate, with the students that are taking the exam, amazing success rate.

InterCoast:

How do you describe the relationship ICC has with CCAPP?

Judy Redman:

InterCoast is one of the Pioneers for CCAPP one of the original schools.  CCAPP and InterCoast has always supported on another, a very strong relationship for years.

InterCoast:

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Judy Redman:

I wanted to thank InterCoast for the training and the support they have given to the addiction community, as a person involved in the recovery system and having 17 facilities, InterCoast College is our first choice for hiring substance use disorder counselors.  And thanking Intercoast for their commitment to education and caring enough about the community, that’s assures us that when a student comes from InterCoast they’ve learned what they need to know.