The Conshohocken Plymouth Whitemarsh Rotary Club is sponsoring a panel discussion to address the current opiate epidemic affecting the nation, and in Montgomery County, specifically. The event will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 21st at the Montgomery County Human Services Center Community Room, located at 1430 DeKalb Street in Norristown.
As the Norristown Patch reported in November, overdoses are up 138% in Montgomery County. This event is intended to educate the community about the current opiate crisis, including signs and symptoms of addiction and overdose, resources available, and a discussion about what the county and state are doing to address the issue. 100 doses of NARCAN (naloxone), which is an overdose reversal drug carried by many first responders, will be available free of charge.
Confirmed panelists include:
• Chief Deputy T. Michael Beaty, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office
• Kay McGowan, Montgomery County SCA Office of Drug and Alcohol
• Benny Mosakowski, Survivor and Advocate
• Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, Montgomery County Commissioner
• Joseph Murray, The Salvation Army; Lead Counselor, Adult Rehabilitation Center
“After a neighbor in my community was murdered, it was discovered that drugs played a pivotal role in her death. Organizing this panel discussion was my way of turning such a horrible event into something positive and proactive,” said Matt Breidenstein, the event organizer. “Communities like mine across this county and state are being devastated by this epidemic. To solve this issue, I believe it is going to have to take everyone in the community to be educated and actively involved.”
The Conshohocken Plymouth Whitemarsh Rotary Club is part of Rotary International and serves communities both locally and globally. Rotary is dedicated to six areas of focus and service to build international relationships, improve lives, and create a better world to support peace efforts and end polio forever.
To attend is free and there is not a registration process.
