Deliberative Dialogue: Spring Semester Forums Focus on Florida’s Opioid Epidemic and Global Warming
Two forums in the Deliberative Dialogue Series took place this semester. The focus of the first forum was Florida’s opioid epidemic; the second centered on climate change and global warming.
Campus and community participants said the opioid epidemic demanded urgent attention from lawmakers, healthcare professionals, communities, and families. State funds should be earmarked for multiple approaches to addressing “this serious public health issue,” they suggested.
Participants emphasized the need for more state-funded programs for people struggling with addiction. Funds should be provided for publicly owned inpatient facilities that provide opportunities to build healthy community relationships, forum participants said.
They called for a harm-reduction strategy and a variety of anti-addiction programs to deal with the opioid crisis. Besides methadone clinics, forum participants said, there should be therapy, support groups, and lifestyle solutions. Educational programs should be designed to make people aware of the value of healthy eating and regular exercise, they added.
Forum participants acknowledged that the opioid crisis was causing devastating effects – burdening families, communities, workplaces, and the healthcare system.
The CCSI assembled a small panel of local experts for the forum on “Florida’s Opioid Epidemic: A Serious Public Health Issue.” The panelists were James Jiler, co-founder and executive director of Urban GreenWorks; Daryl Lazaro Hawkins, a member of Barry’s nursing faculty; and Jordan Pate, a Barry graduate student in clinical psychology, currently working at a methadone treatment center in Broward County.
James Jiler, co-founder and executive director of Urban GreenWorks, emphasizes the value of a “lifestyle” approach to drug treatment, including eating a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables. Daryl Lazaro Hawkins, an instructor of nursing (left), and Jordan Pate, a student in Barry’s Master of Science Program in Clinical Psychology, listen to Jiler’s comments.
Jiler is known for promoting the physical and mental health benefits of gardening. His book, Doing Time in the Garden, outlines the gardening program he established at New York City’s Rikers Island jail.
During the forum, Jiler emphasized the value of a “lifestyle” approach to drug treatment as he spoke about the importance of holistic health. He recommended that people eat nutritious food, including fresh fruits and vegetables, to lessen the body’s need for substances.
Lazaro Hawkins drew on her experience as a nurse consultant for the State of Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to draw attention to the complex issues surrounding the opioid epidemic in relation to infectious diseases.
Pate referred to her experience working in a mental health and substance abuse facility for three years. She mentioned the medication-assisted treatment for individuals struggling with opioid addiction and her contribution to raising awareness about drug addiction.
Earlier, forum moderator Dr. Sarah Lewis provided a personal context for the forum by sharing the experience of a family member who has struggled with opioid addiction. The associate professor of social work explained that opioid changes the chemistry of the brain, leading to dependence.
Noting that it could cost $60,000 a year for incarceration but only about $16,000 a year for treatment, forum participants suggested that less emphasis be placed on the criminalization of addiction. They said there was a need to raise awareness about the privatization of prisons, which diverts funds from drug rehabilitation and mental health treatment.
Nancy Metayer, the New Florida Majority’s climate justice program manager, emphasizes the need for ordinary people to have “a seat at the table.”
The second forum was titled “Natural Disasters and Climate Change: Is Global Warming Causing More Hurricanes?”
Among the suggestions emerging from the forum were these: Cut greenhouse gas emissions; provide economic incentives for good environmental practices; reduce consumption by reusing products.
Forum participants recommended a combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches to addressing the twin issue. They pointed to the need for the United States to cut greenhouse gas emissions and for ordinary citizens to do their part by lowering their carbon footprint.
Forum participants saw the need for adherence to the Paris Agreement, the global accord that charts a new course in addressing climate change. They said people should hold policymakers accountable for their response to global warming and the climate change imperative.
The federal government should provide economic incentives for good environmental practices by corporations and communities, forum participants argued.
Margaret R. Stewart, director of Barry Law’s Center for Earth Jurisprudence, sets the stage for the dialogue. The panelists were (from left) Nadia B. Ahmad, assistant professor of law; Nancy Metayer, climate justice program manager at the New Florida Majority; Dr. Bill Russell, an assistant dean in the College of Arts and Sciences; and Denis Emilio Ordoñez, Jr., a member of the Barry Green Team.
According to forum participants, progress in dealing with global warning also requires changes in consumer behavior. If people reduced their demand for certain products and reused what they have, participants said, there would be a curb on production.
A panel of lead participants shared their experiences and perspectives on the issue of climate change and global warming. The panelists were Dr. William “Bill” Russell, an assistant dean in the College of Arts and Sciences; Nadia B. Ahmad, an assistant professor of law; Denis Emilio Ordoñez, Jr., a graduate student and member of the Barry Green Team; and Nancy Metayer, the climate justice program manager at the New Florida Majority.
Russell, who spent eight years at NASA and Columbia University working with the lead scientists on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, shared research-based information on the effects of climate change.
Ahmad noted that environmental issues affect basic human rights. She called for a “paradigm shift,” with an emphasis on disaster risk reduction.
Ordoñez spoke about the difficulties that people with physical impairments experience during hurricanes. Evacuation is particularly difficult, he said.
Metayer commented on the need for ordinary people to have “a voice” and “a seat at the table” so they will feel empowered to play a role in dealing with natural disasters and its consequences. She also suggested “social advocacy” as a way to get the attention of decision makers.
Students, faculty and staff members, and community partners participate in the Deliberative Dialogue forum on climate change and global warming.
Margaret R. Stewart, director of the Center for Earth Jurisprudence at Barry’s School of Law, moderated the forum. She spoke about the interconnectedness of people and the environment, and about how environmental challenges generally affect people’s livelihoods.
Sister Mary Frances Fleischaker, an adjunct professor of theology, said the community at large should consider religious and spiritual values in fulfilling its duty and responsibility to protect Earth, “our common home.” She also referred to the evidence of sea-level rise in Miami’s South Beach.
The Deliberative Dialogue Series is a “PSR”-designated co-curricular event organized by the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI).
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