[StBernard] Program director named for new St. Bernard Community Coalition

[Westley Annis]

Program director named for new St. Bernard Community Coalition
Print NOLA Community By NOLA Community 
on December 03, 2013 at 6:03 AM, updated December 03, 2013 at 6:20 AM

Joseph Salande, a long-time chiropractor in Chalmette who is semi-retired
and lives in St. Bernard, said he sees a bright future for St. Bernard but
believes one key is to help in finding solutions for residents who are
battling drug addiction.

"I think St. Bernard is making a nice comeback,'' from the physical and
emotional damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, said Salande, 55, who has been
named the program director for the new nonprofit, St. Bernard Community
Coalition. "I believe our school system is doing well, in some ways leading
the state, and the parish is a safe place to live because of good law
enforcement.''

However, Salande said that in a situation "not unique to St. Bernard,''
dependence on drugs by some people, including the prescription variety and
other types, is taking a toll and leads to negative effects like thefts and
burglaries that keep any parish from becoming everything it can be.

Salande said he wants to help in the fight of the St. Bernard Community
Coalition, which aims to reduce illicit drug use in the parish and find ways
to get rehab treatment for people who need it.

"It is something I greatly believe there is a need for,'' said Salande, who
had a chiropractic office for 24 years in Chalmette prior to Katrina and now
works as a fill in/on call doctor for other offices in the New Orleans area.

He said trying to do something about drug abuse was his motivation in
applying for the part-time position as administrator for the new group. It's
board is made up of prominent parish residents including St. Bernard Sheriff
James Pohlmann, Schools Superintendent Doris Voitier and School Board
President Diana Dysart, as well as Justice of the Peace Barbara Manuel,
Floyd Gue of the Meraux Foundation, Pastor Otto Martin, Coroner Dr. Bryan
Bertucci and others.

Salande was recently named program director by the coalition's board, which
is chaired by pharmacist Dan Schneider. The job is roughly 20 hours a week.

"I think he has special talents to help us with our goals with the
coalition,'' Schneider said. Salande will soon travel to Washington D.C. to
take part in training involving such coalitions that receive federal funding
as St. Bernard's will.

"Joe is a long-time St. Bernardian and has a strong desire to make a
difference in helping to reduce our drug abuse /addiction problem,''
Schneider said. "He has met and exceeded all requirements for our program
director."

Salande said many people may not realize how extensive drug abuse can be. "I
doubt there is anyone, who if they thought about it, hasn't been touched by
drug use at some time - someone who is a family member, or friend or
children of a friend,'' Salande said.

Besides his training in chiropractic, Salande has 40 hours in a master's
program at the University of New Orleans in mental health counseling
including a drug addiction component, he said.

And as added experience, Salande and his wife, Laurie, have gone through a
certification program to become foster parents and have been exposed to
children whose families suffered from drug abuse.

"We need a multi-faceted approach to the problem (of drug abuse), rather
than just after the fact,'' said Salande, something that includes informing
the public to draw communitywide involvement. There also must be more
education made available to young people before they get addicted and to
current users, he said.

He said one of the first things to accomplish is showing people battling
addictions and their loved ones how to tap into programs that have proven
records in helping people get off drugs.

"I suspect most people are not aware of resources available until there is a
crisis and they have to start looking for it,'' Salande said. "But there are
resources available and people need to learn how to access them.''

"I think that will be a goal of the Coalition initially,'' Salande said, and
later would move on to long-range things which possibly could include
establishing rehab treatment.

The information in this article was provided by the St. Bernard Sheriff's
Office Director of Public Information Steve Cannizaro.