A&E Network; Charter Communications; The National Council of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD); and The Salvation Army have joined forces to host a special townhall meeting— the first of its kind— at California State University, Long Beach on Thursday, Nov. 18 that will tackle the topic of drug and alcohol abuse in the area.
In a recent survey by The California Healthy Kids Long Beach, 19 percent of 11th graders and 16 percent of 9th graders have admitted to binge drinking. In addition, 34 percent of 9th graders and 29 percent of 11th graders have reported getting high on drugs.
Invited community members, students and parents, elected officials, treatment center providers and law-enforcement experts will be in attendance to learn more about this topic from a panel of experts and to watch a screening of A&E’s Emmy Award-winning series Intervention. The forum will be taped for broadcast on Charter On Demand beginning Wednesday, Dec. 15.
The event is open to public on a first-come, first-served basis. RSVP to Meelene.Diep@chartercom.com or (626) 430-3495.
Panelists will include: Candy Finnigan of A&E’s Intervention; Jim McDonnell, Long Beach Chief of Police; Michael Ballue, executive director of NCADD South Bay; and Dr. Dennis Fisher, director of CSULB’s Center for Behavioral Research & Services. Moderator will be Brad Pomerance, anchor of Charter Local Edition and Charter Special Edition. Special guests will be: Suja Lowenthal, Vice Mayor of Long Beach; and F. King Alexander, CSULB president.
A reception will take place at 5pm, and the program is scheduled for 6pm to 7:30pm at CSULB’s Studio Theater, 1250 Bellflower Blvd. Free parking available in Lot 7 located off 7th Street and East Campus Dr.
