SPRINGFIELD —Some call it an epidemic. Some call it a crisis. Whatever the label, too many western New Englanders know someone affected by opioid misuse.Addictive painkillers and illegal narcotics have affected thousands of local families—and will affect thousands more without the intervention of community, medical, and political stakeholders. For this reason, public television and PBS station WGBY is hosting a live televised event to address the issue.
In partnership with the Center for Human Development (CHD)and the Berkshire Eagle, WGBY is facilitating a town hall-style discussion, entitled The Opioid Crisis: A Community Dialogue. The goal of the effort is to give voice to those concerned about opioid addiction in western New England. The forum will be broadcast live Thursday, May 11 at 8 p.m. on WGBY.
More than 1,400 Massachusetts residents died last year due to opioid-related overdose (non-suicide), according to the Mass. Dept. of Public Health. Moreover, a recent U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services report found Massachusetts to have the highest number of opioid-related emergency room visits among the 50 states.
These daunting numbers have led to the Massachusetts Legislature and Governor Charlie Baker to enact “An Act Relative to Substance Use,Treatment, Education, and Prevention.” They have also inspired efforts like the Opioid Taskforce, which aims to reduce opioid addiction and overdose deaths in Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region of Massachusetts.
LIVE PANEL & AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Moderated by Berkshire Eagle reporter Carrie Saldo, WGBY’s The Opioid Crisis: A Community Dialogue will feature intellectual contributions about addiction and recovery from a panel of western New England locals. They include:
- Robert Roose, Providence Health Systems
- Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni
- Chantal Silloway, Adolescent Recovery Program Director, Goodwin House
- Daniel Zerella, Mother & Recovering Addict
- Jennifer Kimball, BRPC Manager Public Health Program
- Liz Whynott, Tapestry Health, Needle Exchange Program
The panel will field questions from a live studio audience as well as from social media contributors using hashtag #wgbydialogue.
Saldo expects discussion topics to cover the science of addiction, the impacts of opioid abuse, treatment options, and the stigma of recovery.“We hope people will come together to better understand not only the challenges of abusing these drugs,” Saldo says, “but also to discuss potential solutions to this problem.”
WGBY’s The Opioid Crisis: A Community Dialogue will air live Thursday, May 11 at 8 p.m.Viewers can join the conversation using the hashtag #wgbydialgue on Facebook and Twitter. They can also follow WGBY at facebook.com/wgbytv and @wgby on twitter.com/wgby.
