Friday, August 22, 2003

Residents of various ages, religions and ethnic backgrounds met last night to solve a growing problem: drug and alcohol use among teenagers.

The town meeting, sponsored by Monroeville Mayor James Lomeo and the Coalition for Human Dignity, attracted about 75 people.

Coalition director, Dr. Safdar Chaudhary, directs the program out of the Muslim Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, which is in Monroeville.

Speakers included Monroeville Police Chief George Polnar, addiction-prevention specialist and project manager Brian Crow, and Richard Chambers, a recovering addict.

The coalition sponsored a July workshop on drug awareness and prevention for 32 area teens, many of whom were in the audience.

Crow, who has designed outpatient programs for youth with mental illness and substance abuse problems for the past 12 years in Pittsburgh, called on parents to play a stronger role in their children's lives.

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