The event was organized by the Western PA Prevention Network (comprised of the Greene County Drug and Alcohol Program, Fayette Drug and Alcohol Commission, Washington Drug and Alcohol Commission and Westmoreland Drug and Alcohol Commission) in collaboration with the Greene County Commissioners, the Greene County Opioid Task Force and Pitt – PERU, and was funded through the State Opioid Response Grant.
Welcoming attendees to the event were Dr. Kelley McNichols of Waynesburg University and Blair Zimmerman, Chairman of the Greene County Board of Commissioners.
Presenters for the event were: DEA Agent Steven Denhup, who discussed current state and local drug trends; Richard Levitt from PA Friends of Safe Schools, who spoke about opioid addiction from the perspective of a parent whose son died from an opioid overdose; Kathleen McHugh from Pitt-PERU, who presented an overview of Pitt-PERU and local Opioid Task Forces; and Kathryn Hartman from Adagio Health and Rebecca Kishlock from Breathe PA, who provided a presentation on vaping.
Levitt also visited high school students in the Carmichaels and Jefferson-Morgan school districts recently to talk to students about his son’s opioid Abuse and overdose death.
There were 63 people in attendance at the university event, representing Greene, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties.