With Indiana County in the grips of what has been called a “Heroin Epidemic”, a local funeral home is helping to fight against drugs by funding a program for students in area schools.
The Rairigh-Bence Funeral Homes in Indiana and Clymer have announced their support of the program “This Is (Not) About Drugs” from The Learning Lamp. The program is a 45-minute presentation that presents the problems of opioid addiction and overdosing, along with stressing drug-free alternatives and the importance of seeking help to save a life. The program includes a 12-minute video that features young people in recovery from heroin addiction and those who have family members going through the recovery process sharing their experiences. The program has had positive results, with increases in understand how prescription drugs like Oxycodone and Vicodin are connected with heroin.
In a media release, David Rairigh stated that he and Jennifer Rairigh have seen the impact of heroin in the community continue to grow across the region, and feel the program would be helpful in fighting opioid addiction. The program started in the state of Indiana, and has been utilized in Cambria, Somerset and Westmoreland Counties.
