The League of Women Voters of Lexington invites you to join us as we present Dr. William Dake, Lexington Family Medicine Specialist, to share his knowledge of the Icelandic Model for Preventing Adolescent Substance Abuse.  This community forum will take place on Monday, May 24, 2021, from 7:00-8:00 PM via Zoom.

Dr. Dake is a family physician with HealthFirst of the Bluegrass.  He has been a Community Health Center doctor for almost 30 years, and he helped start the medical treatment of opioid addiction in his own clinic.  As a health care provider at the community level, Dr. Dake is now advocating for substance abuse prevention at that same level – the community. He will explain the implementation and outcomes of a program developed in Iceland that depends on community members engaging with, and mentoring, the youth of those same communities as a means of preventing adolescent substance abuse.

This program is a natural and timely follow-up to other recent League sponsored community forums.  Dr. Marlene Helm, Acting Superintendent of Fayette County Public Schools, stressed the need for increased support for all youth in our community. (See our recording of the State of Kentucky Women Today - Action Plans for the Future - www.lwvlexington.com/Programs). 

Additionally, Lisa Higgins-Hord, whom Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton has appointed to lead the implementation of recommendations made in The Mayor’s Commission on Racial Justice and Equality, stated that youth isolation and disengagement during the pandemic has created increased concern on issues in our own community. Systemic racial issues, according to Higgins-Hord, naturally extend to differences in how mentors and role models are able to engage with teenagers.  These same innate disparities also impact the amount of time and variety of activities that are available to people of different backgrounds, as well as the level of direct involvement that can be offered the youth in these communities.  (See our recording of The Mayor’s Commission on Racial Justice and Equality, www.lwvlexington.com/Programs). 

The Lexington League hopes to learn how a community-based approach can be adopted in our own city to address addiction and youth disengagement.

Register on our website under Events www.lwvlexington.com/events or on Outreach Circle (outreachcircle.com/DUV861).