Combatting Pennsylvania’s heroin and opioid crisis will be the focus of a special “tele-town hall,” to be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 21, according to Senator Scott Hutchinson.
The event is part of a statewide effort to gather information on how the growing epidemic is affecting Pennsylvania and what can be done to save lives and battle addiction. It is the first of five tele-town halls scheduled around the state in the coming months.
Those interested in taking part can sign up ahead of time at www.acommonwealthcrisis.com to receive a phone call a few moments before the town hall meeting begins. They can also sign up by texting the keyword “talkheroin” to the number 828282. Audio streaming for the tele-town hall will also be available.
The tele-town hall will be hosted by Senator Gene Yaw (R-23), who chairs the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. He will be joined by experts from across the Commonwealth and other special guests to answer questions about heroin and opioid addiction and what the Legislature is doing to curb the use of these dangerous drugs.
Nearly 3,400 drug-related overdose deaths were reported Pennsylvania in 2015, an increase of more than 238 percent over 2014. In approximately four out of five of those deaths, the presence of heroin or at least one opioid was reported.
Contact: Justin Leventry (717) 787-9684