Dangers of Heroin PSAs to Run in Harford County Theaters Through 2017

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Moviegoers in Abingdon and Churchville who watch the previews may notice some that hit close to home.

The county has been running public service announcements (PSAs) about the impact of heroin on families, and the clips feature local youths who have been affected. In the latest PSA released, Mara Finnegan, 10, of Forest Hill, shares memories of her sister, who died last Christmas from an overdose.

The program began as a way to continue conversations about the dangers of heroin when children were not in school and was expected to run from June to September. Now county officials say they are extending the initiative and will air PSAs in theaters Thanksgiving week through early January when students are on winter break.

See the PSAs at the end of the article.

Heroin is a growing problem in Harford County.

There have been 35 fatal suspected heroin overdoses so far in 2016, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office, meaning the total has already surpassed last year's. There were 27 people who died from suspected heroin overdoses in Harford County in 2015, officials reported.

Related: 3 Heroin Briefings to Alert Community About Latest Findings in Harford County

To spark conversations about the drug, the county has aired different PSAs at Regal in Abingdon and the Digiplex in Churchville.

The clips that the county produced feature relatives of those affected by the drug, in a format county officials say has been proven as an effective way to reach youths, with one young person talking to another.

"It affects your family, it affects your whole life, it affects your future and your career," Alayna Beck, a 15-year-old from Street, said of heroin in one of the videos. Other local youths included in the PSAs are Jade Buddenbohn, 12, and Ava Buddenbohn, 8, of Fallston; Patrick Beck, 18, of Street; Alaina Rives, 15, of Street; and Lexi Kuzma, 16, of Bel Air.

During the winter run, the PSAs are expected to reach more than 170,000 movie-goers, according to Cindy Mumby, spokeswoman for Harford County government. She said it costs $8,320 in county funding to run the clips in theaters.

In 2017, Mumby said local teens will be invited to submit their own PSAs through a video contest.

Harford County offers this list of resources for those seeking help:

• Harford County Health Department Division of Behavioral Health Addiction Services: 410-877-2340
• Adolescent Addiction Services: 410-893-4181
• Division of Health Services, HIV/AIDS Testing: 410-638-3060
• Alcoholics Anonymous: 410-272-4150
• Narcotics Anonymous: 800-317-3222
• Al-Anon/Alateen: 410-836-6209
• Sexual Assault/Spouse Abuse Resource Center (SARC): 410-836-8430
• School-Based Prevention Services: 410-588-5271