By State Rep. Justin Simmons

Special to the Bethlhjem Press

In an effort to increase the community’s understanding of the drug crisis in the Lehigh Valley, I will be hosting an Opioid Awareness Seminar on Thursday, Sept. 28, at the Southern Lehigh Middle School auditorium, 3715 Preston Lane in Center Valley. The panel discussion will run from 6-8 p.m. No reservation is required and the public is encouraged to attend this free event.

Our panel will be made up of experts on the subject of drug addiction who will discuss how to deal with the opioid crisis in everyday situations. Parents, individuals who have loved ones struggling with this epidemic and those who would like more information about this important issue will be especially interested in attending.

The panelists include:

• Donna Jacobsen – Lehigh Valley Parent Group leader

• Molly Stanton – Livengrin Foundation program manager

• Sharon Stauffer – Parent who lost her son to an overdose

• Layne Turner – Lehigh County Drug and Alcohol Abuse Program administrator

• Lisa Wolff – Center for Humanistic Change prevention manager, who will set up a mock teen bedroom to show where kids hide drugs.

• Robert Bedford – Stepping Stones Recovery Foundation co-founder and director of program development

Last year, 4,642 drug-related overdose deaths were reported by Pennsylvania coroners and medical examiners, an increase of 37 percent from 2015. About 13 people statewide died from an overdose every day during 2016. Experts predict the fatality rate will only keep climbing.

Those numbers are tragic and indicate the urgent need for all of us to take action. Our upcoming seminar is an effective way to provide community members with the information they need to help reduce the number of drug-related deaths here and across Pennsylvania.

The House of Representatives is doing its part and has passed a number of measures in recent years, including those designed to raise greater awareness, mandate continuing education for prescribers and dispensers, and provide for better treatment.

State Rep. Justin Simmons ® represents Lehigh, Montgomer and Northampton counties