The Opioid Epidemic in Northwest CT Lecture

Greenwoods Counseling Referrals Executive Director, John Simoncelli and Executive Director of McCall Center for Behavioral Health, Maria Coutant Skinner will deliver a talk & visual presentation entitled The Opioid Epidemic in Northwest, CT. This event, sponsored by the Washington Democratic Town Committee and part of the John Millington Lecture Series, will take place Sunday, April 7, 2019 @ 1pm in the Wykeham Room of the Gunn Memorial Library.

In January 2019, the National Safety Council reported that for the first time on record the odds of accidentally dying from an opioid overdose in the United States are now greater than those of dying in an automobile accident. How did we get here? What factors contributed to this addiction crisis? How is it impacting our local communities and what is being done to address the problem?

Mr. Simoncelli and Ms. Skinner and will discuss the current state of the opioid crisis with a focus on the Northwest corner of CT. The speakers will share statistics detailing the impact of the epidemic on Litchfield County and describe how the region has responded. Most importantly, the discussion will educate the audience on what is driving this public health emergency and how members of the community can help.

Maria is a licensed clinical social worker and executive director of the McCall Center for Behavioral Health a private non-profit behavioral health treatment agency that serves northwestern Connecticut. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Springfield College and a Master’s degree in social work at UCONN. Maria is an advocate for services and resources for traditionally underserved populations including those impacted by addiction and mental health issues.

John is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor who has been working in the mental health field for over 13 years. He holds Master’s Degrees in Social Work and Public Administration from the University of Connecticut. John is a practicing mental health therapist and addiction specialist. In 2017, he became the Executive Director of Greenwoods Counseling Referrals. Greenwoods is a nonprofit social service agency located in Litchfield, CT which offers mental health assessments and referrals to anyone that lives or works in Litchfield County.

This program is free and open to the public but registration is requested.
The Gunn Memorial Library is located at 5 Wykeham Road at Route 47 on the Green, in Washington, CT. 860-868-7586 – www.gunnlibrary.org