Community Forum On Opiate Epidemic Scheduled for Thursday, April 7, at Wilmington High School

WILMINGTON, Ohio — A community forum on the opiate epidemic will be held Thursday, April 7, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Wilmington High School Auditeria, 300 Richardson Place.

            Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s Heroin Unit is organizing the forum, which will feature community leadership who deal with the repercussions of opiate abuse every day.

          Speakers will include representatives from local law enforcement, local courts, alcohol and drug counseling agencies, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

            Attorney General DeWine’s Heroin Unit has held forums throughout southern Ohio and they have all been well attended by community members. “The opiate epidemic and shift to heroin is causing great concern throughout the State of Ohio,” DeWine says. “Through this meeting, we hope to work together with local officials and community members to develop an action plan specific to the needs of this area.”

            DeWine says there is much good work already being done on several fronts locally, and during the meeting, his staff will share other ideas that have been effective in other parts of the state. “Our goal is not to replace activities already in place, but to understand the services that currently exist, fill in the gaps, share ideas for additional strategies, programs and services, and develop a strategy that incorporates them all,” he says.

            Some of that strategical process has also already been undertaken locally by a coalition that received a $10,000 planning grant from Interact for Health, a Cincinnati-based community foundation. A preliminary report from that group will be presented at the April 7 meeting.

          For more information about the event, contact Jill Del Greco at 614-728-4946, or at jill.delgreco@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.