Forum Planned To Tackle Opioid Crisis In Cherokee County

WOODSTOCK, GA -- The community is encouraged to come together for a forum designed to address the growing opioid and heroin crises in Cherokee County.

The forum will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2 in the Building A Chapel at First Baptist Church of Woodstock. The forum, which is free and open to the public, is being organized by Tony Black, a Woodstock resident working closely with State Senator Renee Unterman.

Unterman, the chair of the Health & Human Services Committee, has also been on the forefront in introducing legislation that will lead to advances in heroin and opioid awareness, education and any necessary policy reforms to address addiction to these drugs (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app).

Black is the organizer with the Cherokee County chapter of Georgia Connects, an organization connecting state law, local government agencies, private organizations and citizens to discuss how "we can help create solutions to drug addiction, opioid abuse and overdoses, and mental health disorders," he said.

Residents attending the forum will be made aware of the heroin and opioid addiction crisis in the county as well as learn more about the resources for families and individuals seeking information on services to combat addiction. Speakers at the event will include Georgia legislators and officials and state and local law enforcement officers.

Black said he and other organizers are specifically targeting communities in counties in north metro Atlanta "that have particularly been hit hard by the increased incidence of illegal synthetic opioids."

This event will be available via live stream at Georgia Connects if you wish to see the agenda and speakers.

First Baptist Church of Woodstock is located at 11905 Highway 92. For more information about the organization, visit the Georgia Connects website or Facebook page. For details about the forum, contact Tony Black at (678) 576-6619 or blackto@bellsouth.net.

Image via Shutterstock