News Release: FMC Sponsors Tour De Cause
On February 16, 2010, Mina Ubbing, President and CEO of Fairfield Medical Center presented a $5,000 check to Ron Burris, Lancaster Cause Chairman, to sponsor the Tour De Cause bicycle tour. Tour De Cause is a bicycle tour through Fairfield County scheduled on July 17, 2010 to raise money for drug awareness, education, and treatment programs in the Lancaster area.
Lancaster Cause is a new committee formed to help address the drug problem in Fairfield County by raising funds to promote awareness. The committee came together shortly after an Opiate Summit allowing members to address the drug problem in our community head on. A staggering statistic was noted that between 2002 and 2008 there was a 775% increase in the number of persons seeking treatment for heroin and opiate addiction in Fairfield County and that the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office estimates that 52% of all 2008 jail days were accounted for by heroin and opiate addicts. The cumulative cost of these days to the taxpayers of Fairfield County was $2.5 million.
Fairfield Medical Center is well aware of the drug problem in Fairfield County and wanted to do something about it. “This $5,000 sponsorship represents the dedication Fairfield Medical Center has to this cause and we look forward to working with you all to do what we can to eliminate this problem that is causing such a burden on our community,” Ubbing commented when presenting the check to Burris. She is hopeful that we can improve this situation and recognizes that it takes as many resources as we can spare to make a change in the right direction.
Burris is also hopeful as is numerous other agencies, businesses, service groups, and individuals. “We have a real hits-close-to-home issue in our community and the only way to solve the problem is to address it head on and the Lancaster Cause is doing just that.”
The Lancaster Cause is a nonprofit organization raising money for drug awareness, education, and treatment programs in Lancaster and Fairfield County. All money raised this year will go to the ADAMH Board and The Recovery Center. For more information or donations to Lancaster Cause and the Tour De Cause, please call (740) 689-2453 . Read more
02/23/2010
