MEDIA ADVISORY-- Hope Initiative Partners to Discuss Importance of Community Participation in DEA’s Upcoming National Take Back Event

ALBUQUERQUE – U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez and DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Sean R. Waite will hold a press conference at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016, at the U.S. Attorney’s Office to promote community participation in DEA’s 12^th National Take Back Event, which is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016.  This media opportunity is part of the prevention and strategic planning components of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative.

WHO:            

U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez

Asst. Special Agent in Charge Sean R. Waite, DEA Albuquerque District Office

WHEN:         

THURSDAY, OCT. 20, 2016

11:00 a.m.

 WHERE:      

U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of New Mexico

201 Third Street NW

10^th Floor Multi-Media Room (Reception on Ninth Floor)

Albuquerque, NM 87102

OPEN PRESS

NOTE: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (i.e., driver’s license) and valid media credentials.  Media may begin to arrive at 10:45 a.m.  Inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to Alyssa Ferda at 505-224-1480 or alyssa.ferda@usdoj.gov.

The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic that has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico.  Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities.  Working in partnership with Bernalillo County, DEA, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC) and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.  The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components:  (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning.  Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.