Centre County opioid outreach event planned in March

BELLEFONTE — Centre County brass continues to work to deter the heroin and opioid epidemic locally, and on Jan. 17 county commissioners took action to establish an outreach event in March.

Commissioners approved paying a $280 rental fee to the American Philatelic Center for the rental of Sundman Hall for a Heroin Opioid Prevention and Education Initiative outreach event, scheduled from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 29. The event piggybacks a recent series of town hall meetings designed to educate the public to the extent of the epidemic facing Centre County today.
“Everything is still early in the planning stages,” said Gene Lauri, director of Centre County’s criminal justice planning department. “We’re still making contacts and getting people and agencies lined up to attend.”
In 2016, the HOPE initiative held four public forums concerning the heroin and opioid epidemic within the county. At these forums, a panel of experts were presented questions and thoughts, which they elaborated on.
Commissioner Steve Dershem, who was instrumental in helping establish the public forums, said the March event will differ from those community forums.
“This is going to be a little more intimate,” said Dershem. “People will be able to talk directly to agencies and professionals about their unique situations. There won’t be a CNET crew filming this event. I think it’s going to be another positive step forward in this issue affecting so many of us.”
In other business, the commissioners:
■ Appointed Commissioner Mark Higgins as the commissioner representative to the SEDA-COG board of directors

■ Approved a contract renewal between the county and Corby Shunk to provide snow removal for the Centre Hall magisterial offices at a rate of $50 for plowing the parking lot, $30 to salt the parking lot and $30 to shovel the sidewalks and walkway.