Outreach Partners with the John Brower, Jr. Foundation to Raise Awareness on Substance Abuse

October 10, 2015

John Brower Jr.’s trajectory toward a fatal heroin overdose began with a doctor’s prescription for painkillers.

It’s a common scenario, and a 5-kilometer walk in Brower’s name along the Jones Beach boardwalk Saturday helped bring awareness to the widespread addiction to prescription drugs, said Neil Sheehan, an officer at Outreach, a Queens-based nonprofit that has substance-abuse-treatment centers in Brentwood and Bellport. The walk also raised money for Outreach.

Brower’s parents — John and Jody, of Dix Hills — founded the walk. After the death of their 25-year-old son in June 2014, they vowed to use his story to help others.

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