NEW FUND FIGHTS DRUG ABUSE

PITTSFIELD - Despite great ability, great education and treatment at
some of the best-known rehabilitation facilities in the country,
Patrick Miller died six years ago of a heroin overdose at age 32.

To help others avoid his fate, his parents, sister and brother-in-law
have created the Patrick Miller Trust, a fund that will ultimately
exceed $2 million and help run a new youth substance-abuse treatment
program that will bear his name at the Pittsfield-based Brien Center.

"Why did we do this?" said John Miller, Patrick's father, addressing
an audience of about 80 that filled the lobby of the new Patrick
Miller Youth Substance Abuse Program at 251 Fenn St. yesterday for the
unveiling of the facility. He said that the answer, in part, is that
he and his wife, Rosaleen, are "children of the 1930s and '40s ... a
hard time of worldwide depression and World War II. Experiences that
influenced your attitudes on the role of education, experience and
money, and you can never forget them," he said. But, mostly, the
motivation is Patrick's life and death, he said. "We all loved him
dearly, and can you imagine our family's reaction each time we see or
hear 'The Patrick Miller Youth Substance Abuse Program?' " The assets
of John and Rosaleen Miller's estate will be placed in a trust that
will be overseen by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. The
annual interest and income from the $2 million principal will be used
to help run the substance-abuse program.

The facility is a key component in a major initiative for the Brien
Center, which has been expanding to meet a growing need for treatment,
counseling and rehabilitation for teenagers and preteens who are
either at risk or who are already using drugs and alcohol.

"We must support our youth," said Chris Dodig, president of the Brien
Center's board of directors. "It is self-evident, but it bears
repeating, that the youth of today are the community leaders of
tomorrow. So we at the Brien Center are particularly proud of the
services that we provide to our youth, and none more so than the youth
substance-abuse services we are here to celebrate."

Marjorie Cohan, Brien's executive director, said that the Pittsfield
couple's pain and sense of loss, along with their energy and demand
for excellence, drove the formation of the new center, infusing the
Brien staff with the energy to move forward.

"The Millers' gift has enabled us to provide specialized services to
our youth and their families and focus integrated treatment in a way
that has not existed in this community," Cohan said.

With its 450 employees, the Brien Center offers mental health and
substance-abuse treatment to about 10,000 Berkshire County residents a
year, making it the central pillar in efforts to combat crime by
treating the source of many problems — alcohol and drug use.

Berkshire District Attorney David F. Capeless said that substance
abuse "is one of the worst social ills that we deal with in our
community," affecting individuals, families and the community as a
whole. He presented the center with a $2,500 donation from funds
recovered from drug dealers. "Substance abuse is the most significant
and pervasive issue and problem that we deal with in law enforcement,"
he said. "It's not simply its effect on the individual who falls
victim to that subculture, but also we find that it is directly
involved or associated with domestic abuse, abuse of children and a
host of violent crimes - robbery, burglary, sexual assault,
stabbings and shootings. We see this every day, and we try to deal
with it." Capeless said that the Millers' gift is noble and generous,
and "we have the obligation, now that we have this gift, this program,
to keep it, nurture it, support it and to help make it grow in the
coming years." State Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli told the story
of a Lenox woman who called him seeking help for her 22-year-old son,
a heroin addict who was in and out of jail. With the help of the Brien
Center, the young man got medication that helped him recover and was
enrolled in MassHealth to pay the $40-a-day cost of the prescription.
He has since gone back to school and is flourishing.

"They do God's work at the Brien Center," Pignatelli said.