WVIA will partner with the Wyoming County Opioid Settlement Committee for Sunday's live-to-tape panel discussion, "Wyoming County Voices: Battling the Opioid Crisis Together."
The town hall will take place from 3 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2 at the Dietrich Theater in Tunkhannock.
IF YOU GO
● WHAT: 'Wyoming County Voices: Battling the Opioid Crisis Together,' a panel discussion
● WHEN: 3-4 p.m., Nov. 2
● WHERE: Dietrich Theater, 60 E. Tioga St, Tunkhannock
● DETAILS: Tickets for the free event can be reserved here.
Julie Sidoni, WVIA’s director of journalism, will moderate the panel of local professionals and community leaders to discuss how the county is navigating the opioid crisis.
The discussion will be recorded in front of a live studio audience and will premiere on WVIA TV at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17.
Panelists include Wyoming County District Attorney Joe Peters, prevention education coordinator Cammie Anderson, mental health and substance use expert Dr. Arianne Scheller and Emergency Medical Services of Northeastern Pennsylvania Executive Director Robert M. Carpenter.
“Beyond my role as the chief law enforcement officer of the county pursuing those who traffic opioids in our community, I feel it an obligation and a privilege to use the bully pulpit as district attorney to educate both young and old about the perils of opioid use disorder, and worse, the instant death that could be caused by a few grains of fentanyl,” Peters said.
He knows the importance of partnering with the community to battle addiction.
"Law enforcement alone will never be the answer to solving the opioid crisis. Instead, the solution will come out of the education and engagement of an entire community, bringing together partners in treatment, mental health, law enforcement, schools, community organizations and the entire criminal justice system, including corrections,” Peters said.
The event is free. Registration is not required, but encouraged. Tickets can be reserved here.
Sunday's town hall kicks off a multi-platform initiative in partnership with Wyoming County’s Opioid Settlement Committee that will include educational videos and school-based awareness sessions over the next few months.
