[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5_KoAawswE[/youtube]Mr. Luke Nasta, MPA, CASAC, has been providing substance abuse disorder treatment on Staten Island for the past 38 years. As the executive director of Camelot Counseling Centers, he knows first hand about the history of the current opiate epidemic on the Island. He knows how people become addicted, the debilitating effects on their lives, and the devastation brought upon their families.

On March 31, the College of Staten Island will present Mr. Nasta’s talk “Staten Island Drug Abuse Epidemic: A Town in Crisis” in the Center for the Arts from 2:45-4:00p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Mr. Nasta will be joined by persons currently in treatment at Camelot of Staten Island who will speak about their drug histories and how they ended up at the counseling facility that services adults, adolescents, children, and families whose lives have been affected by drug or alcohol use.

Dr. David Goode, Professor of Sociology, arranged for Mr. Nasta to be a guest lecturer in his Psychosocial Aspects of Disability class earlier this year.

“His message was so relevant, so poignant, and so critically important to our borough that we decided to bring him back to campus in a public forum to help our community grapple with this growing problem,” commented Dr. Goode.

“America is the wealthiest and most technologically advanced country in history of the world,” notes Mr. Nasta. “If we would dedicate all of our resources to this public health crisis, I believe we could control it and conquer it.”

This is an important issue for the community,” commented Dr. Nan Sussman, Dean of the Humanities and Social Sciences at CSI, “and I hope this important event will reach the families in need and help raise the public’s awareness about a very serious issue that affects many lives.”

“Staten Island Drug Abuse Epidemic: A Town in Crisis” is free and open to the public. It will be held Monday March 31, 2014, from 2:45-4:00p.m. at the College of Staten Island Center for the Arts at 2800 Victory Boulevard in the Willowbrook section of Staten Island. This important discussion is presented by the CSI department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work and sponsored by the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences.