Andy Moir is on a mission.
As the Director of Operations for United Against Heroin Addiction in Centre County, he’s trying to get the word out about the dangers of heroin addiction and what can be done to combat it.
Simply put, heroin addiction has hit close to home for Moir.
“I have friends who have siblings who are out on the streets,” Moir said. “I’ve cleaned out apartments of deceased friends. That’s part of the reason I started this foundation. I’m just passionate about giving back.”
According to Moir, United Against Heroin Addiction aims to help addicts, communities, family, friends as well as local and state government.
Of course, that’s easier said than done.
“We are the leading the resource right now and there are so many different things blossoming,” Moir said. “I work on this project full-time, but I need some help. I need manpower to get things set up.”
United Against Heroin Addiction will have an awareness event on Saturday, Aug. 13 at Medlar Field when the State College Spikes take on Staten Island at 7:05 p.m. The organization will have a booth set up at the entrance. The organization is also trying to sell 200 tickets for the game.
“It’s really just an awareness event. At our booth, we’ll have T-shirts, wristbands and literature. We’re hoping to get a donation … for $500 we can get our video played on the video board. It’s really all about awareness,” Moir said.
When it comes to addicts, United Against Heroin Addiction aims to help the addict with initial counseling for emotional, mental and physical support. It will also help the addict understand insurance coverage or apply for financial aid and help navigate the treatment process.
Following treatment, the organization will arrange logistics, find transitional and permanent housing and maintain ongoing support for relapse prevention and continued care.
Heroin addiction is a growing issue that needs to be addressed before it gets worse, Moir said.
“We have about one overdose per day that gets dropped off at the hospital. Those numbers are increasing, so we need to make that stop,” Moir noted.
United Against Heroin Addiction has partnered with the Centre County YMCA and will have access to their facilities for various activities.
In the community, the organization will try to prevent drug addiction through heroin/opioid and addiction awareness programs. It will also try to establish multi-level education programs through grade schools, higher education, the medical community and the elderly.
According to Moir, addiction can begin extremely early in life.
“Adolescence is where it starts 90 percent of the time. There are contributing factors that can make someone become an addict. It’s a mental disorder as well. If you … have been abused as a child and you’ve been been bullied … guess what? There’s a 95 percent chance you’re going to be an addict. We can really hone in on our education for high-risk adolescents,” Moir said.
United Against Heroin Addiction will also aim to help families and friends of addicts will receive help with intervention services as well as in-house or outside counseling.
Moir said that there are many layers to heroin/opioid addiction.
“Our first goal is to get the awareness out there loud and clear. Make sure that everyone is aware of the problem,” Moir said. “Once we do that, we can develop the other programs.”
For more information about the organization, visit www.unitedagainstheroinaddiction.com.
