WOODVILLE – A regional town hall meeting, hosted by the Alcohol and Drug Awareness Council of Deep East Texas (ADAC) and the Prevention Resource Center, Region 5 is scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 23 in Woodville.
The meeting will run from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Nutrition Center, located at 201 Veterans Way.
The event, according to Paige Bentley, a public relations specialist with ADAC, is a chance to invite residents in the region to come to together to address the issue of substance use and to “create positive community change.”
“You can expect to hear from expert speakers and thoughtful panel discussions about preventing harmful substance use,” Bentley said.
Bentley encouraged everyone – from parents, school faculty and staff, community leaders and public health and safety advocates – to attend. “As a community leader, your presence would mean a great deal to this effort,” she said.
Substance use and abuse is an issue facing the entire country, but rural communities in Texas have been hit especially hard. According to the recently released regional needs assessment study by ADAC, which contains health data and surveys from the year 2025, the number of methamphetamine-related drug poisoning deaths in Texas was 3,424 in the year 2023, which was a far cry from 581 in 2011.
The assessment report also found that the overall health of all 15 counties within the region serviced by ADAC are ranked below the health rate, with a number of metrics that rank counties from healthiest to least healthy, including the prevalence of diabetes, obesity and life expectancy.
Findings also indicate that all of the counties in the region also are above the average number of days for feeling mentally unwell.
The substance use and abuse problem is one that also has put a strain on taxpayer dollars going to law enforcement at all levels, from the agencies combatting it to the prosecutors trying cases that stem from the issue.
Tyler County Sheriff Bryan Weatherford issued a statement last week about the problem within the county, and said that the problem with illegal drugs fueling crime, addiction, overdoses and violence is a nationwide problem, but Tyler County is not immune.
“Our deputies work hard every day to combat this epidemic through aggressive enforcement, investigations and partnerships,” he said.
For the town hall meeting, space is limited, Bentley said, and encouraged anyone interested to register to reserve a spot in order to “explore ways to create healthy, safe communities that are free from harmful substances.”
Questions and registration information can be obtained from calling 936-631-8785 or emailing kbartel@adacdet.org.
