The Paint Valley Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health (ADAMH) Services Board has announced that Sam Quinones, author of the books “Dreamland” and “The Least of Us” will be the keynote speaker at the fourth annual Recovery Celebration, where local advocates for behavioral health care workers are honored and some exceptional individuals are recognized.

The fourth Recovery Celebration will be held on Thursday, Sept. 22, at Bell Manor in Chillicothe. The celebration is made possible by a generous contribution from the Adena Health System, and additional corporate level sponsorships from Family Recovery Services, the Scioto Paint Valley Mental Health Center, and The Recovery Council. Additional sponsorship opportunities will be announced soon, as well as nomination forms for awardees.

Quinones is a journalist, storyteller, former LA Times reporter and author. His most recent book is “The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth”. The book follows his 2015 release, “Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic”.

Quinones’ career as a journalist has spanned 35 years. He worked for 10 years as a freelance writer in Mexico, where he wrote his first two books. In 2004, he returned to the United States to work for the LA Times, covering immigration, drug trafficking, neighborhood stories, and gangs. In 2014, he resigned from the paper to return to freelancing, working for National Geographic, Pacific Standard Magazine, the New York Times, Los Angeles Magazine, and other publications.

Penny Dehner, executive director of the Paint Valley ADAMH Board said, “We are extremely honored to have Mr. Sam Quinones as our keynote speaker for our Recovery Celebration. He has placed a national spotlight on the fight against opiate addiction in southern Ohio. The theme of this year’s Recovery Celebration is Together We Can. We are hopeful that Mr. Quinones’ presence will bring our community together to re-energize the recovery movement in southern Ohio.”

Submitted by Melinda Sheets, public affairs coordinator, ADAMH.