America’s Failed Response to the Opioid Crisis with Author Shoshana Walter

Join us for a special conversation between award-winning journalist Shoshana Walter and bestselling and award-winning author Barbara Kingsolver as they chat about Walter’s book Rehab: An American Scandal. In this work, Walter, a Pulitzer finalist, exposes the country’s failed response to the opioid crisis, and the malfeasance, corruption, and snake oil which blight the drug rehabilitation industry.

Today, more people have access to treatment than ever before. So why isn’t it working? The answer is that in America—where anyone can get addicted—only certain people get a real chance to recover. Despite record numbers of overdose deaths, our default response is still to punish, while rehabs across the United States fail to incorporate scientifically proven strategies and exploit patients. 

In this book, you’ll find the stories of four people who represent the failures of the rehab-industrial complex, and the ways our treatment system often prevents recovery. April is a black mom in Philadelphia, who witnessed firsthand how the government’s punitive response to the crack epidemic impeded her mother’s recovery—and then her own. Chris, a young middle-class white man from Louisiana, received more opportunities in his addiction than April, including the chance to go to treatment instead of prison. Yet the only program the judge permitted was one that forced him to perform unpaid back-breaking labor at for-profit companies. Wendy is a mother from a wealthy suburb of Los Angeles, whose son died in a sober living home. She began investigating for-profit treatment programs—yet law enforcement and regulators routinely ignored her warnings, allowing rehab patients to die, again and again. Larry is a surgeon who himself struggled with addiction, and would eventually become one of the first Suboxone prescribers in the nation, drawing the scrutiny of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Drop-in Tech Help

The SMITH Library is now offering 30-minute one-on-one tech help with Laynee (our fabulous intern) during the month of January. Perfect for folks that need a little assistance with new devices, creating accounts, downloading apps or accessing government sites. 

This will be on a first come first serve basis - if help extends the allotted 30-minutes you can always return for another drop-in time. Feel free to call ahead to detail your specific request. 203.484.0469.

Needle Arts

Enjoy the friendly camaraderie of your fellow artisans and join us on Wednesday mornings! Beginners are welcome. Knit, crochet, embroider, quilt -- all kinds of needle craft.

No registration necessary!

East Shore Health District Monthly Information Session

Representatives from the East Shore Health District will be at the Edward Smith Library the fourth Thursday of each month! Stop by for information on a variety of topics, including local social support resources, personal preparedness, and overdose prevention, among others. Conversations and questions are welcome.

The East Shore Health District is committed to improving the health and well being of our residents through programs that promote wellness, prevent and control disease, and provide education about healthy lifestyles.

No registration required!