I
• See Opinion/Forum pages on A6&7
League
success
See Sports on page Bl*
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C
Volume 44, Number 47
THURSDAY, July 26, 2018
New drug
program for
addiction at jail
■
i A
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
A new partnership
between pharmaceutical
company Alkermes and the
Forsyth County District
Attorney’s office will be
offering drug-assisted
treatment for addiction.
Forsyth County District
Attorney Jim O’Neil talked
about the new program
with Forsyth County com
missioners at their briefing
last week. It’s designed to
help the large population
with substance abuse
issues that ends up in the
Forsyth County Detention
Center by offering them
treatment instead of incar
ceration.
“As a society, we prob
ably have evolved in terms
of how we look at addic
tion and how we approach
it in terms of combating
it,” said O’Neill.
The program has a case
manager that screens
inmates, looking for those
addicted to heroine, opi
oids or alcohol. The DA’s
Office would review their
cases to determine who
qualifies.
Those who qualify and
agree to join would start 14
days after arriving, at the
jail, when they’d normally
have their first court hear
ing. Instead they’ll be
'given a naloxone tablet to
make sure there’s no
impaired substances left in
their system. The next day
they’ll be given a shot of
Alkermes’ drug, Vivitrol.
The once monthly shot is
an opioid blocker used to
help fight addiction. It’s a
non-narcotic, so it can be
administered in jail.
Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neil and Clerk of Court Susan Frye
are hoping a new program can help address addiction and reduce recidivism.
They’re held for observa
tion for 24 hours after the
first shot.
Then the patient is
released to ARCA
(Addiction Recovery Care
Association) for in-patient
treatment or to Daymark
Recovery Services or
Insight Human Service for
out-patient service.
Probation and parole offi
cers will also be checking
on them. Those who suc
cessfully complete the pro
gram, which is expected to
take at least 12 months,
will have their charges
dropped. O’Neill said he
expects some relapses
along the way, but is hop
ing for a high rate of suc
cess by the time partici
See Program on A2
Funding
woes hit
Veterans
Court
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE__
Veterans Treatment Court held its first, and possibly
last, graduation ceremony at Goodwill Industries on
Wednesday, July 18.
The voluntary 12-month court supervised program is
for veterans dealing with substance use or mental health
issues. The program teams veterans who’ve been charged
with a misdemeanor or felony with a veteran mentor and
provides participants with treatment and drug screenings
Rising sixth grader Fatrell Hammond chats with some of his favorite authors during the Scholastic
Summer Reading Road Trip last week.
Pop-up
festival
promotes
reading
BYTEVIN STINSON *
THE CHRONICLE_
It is estimated that each
summer, children without a
regular reading routine can
lose one to three months of
the reading skills they
learned during the previous
school year.
In an attempt to reme
diate this issue in Forsyth
County, for the past three
years Bookmarks has part
nered with Scholastic to
host the Summer Reading
Road Trip, a pop-up read
ing festival for children
and families designed to
promote summer reading.
This year's festival on
Tuesday, July 17, gave
young readers the opportu
nity to interact with some
of their favorite characters,
play games and enjoy sev
eral activities, including
reading giveaways and a
prize wheel. Children's
authors Derrick Barnes,
author of the “Ruby and
The Booker Boys” series;
Jonathan Fenske,
author/illustrator of
“Barnacle is Bored,” and
Allan Woodrow, author of
“Class Dismissed” were
also in attendance, signing
copies of their books.
"It's amazing to be con
sidered and recognized as
one of the 27 cities that
gets to host the festival,"
said Ashley Bryan,
Bookmarks youth and
schools coordinator.
"This provides a way
for students to be engaged
with other readers. I think
seeing the authors and the
See Festival on A2
Veterans Court Graduate Nicholas Wright shakes
the hand of his mentor, Garland Wallace, at a cere
mony held last week.
to help them recover.
“For those familiar with treatment courts, this is an
intensive program for the participants,” said Judge David
Sipprell, who presides over the court. “It is not easy and
as one of the participants told me last week, it’s hard
enough that you sure don’t want to have to do this again.”
It’s funded by an Edward Byrne Memorial Justice
See Court on A2
NC 27101-2705 60
Rewing up for a good cause
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
Last weekend, the Prince Hall
Masonic Temple hosted the fifth
annual Masonic Motorcycle Charity
Ride.
The event held on Saturday, July
21, was designed to raise funds for
various charity projects the organi
zation hosts’ throughout the year.
More than two dozen men and
women participated in the charity
ride, which traveled more than 50
miles.
The convoy of riders started at
the Masonic Temple located at 1025
14th Street and traveled to Hanging
Rock before returning to the temple
for a community cookout and give
away.
Event coordinator Rodney
Funderburk, who is a member of a
masonic motorcycle club called 3-5
7 Riders, said when he put out the
call to other motorcycle clubs in the
area, they jumped at the chance to
participate.
Pre-registration for the event was
$20 per rider. The day of registration
for the event was $30. According to
Funderburk, proceeds will be used to
help students, teachers, and staff at
Hall-Woodward Elementary
throughout the 2018-2019 school
See Ride on A2
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