There will be an Opioid Crisis: Awareness to Action event from 6 to 8 p.m. March 18 at First Baptist Church in the atrium, 3015 Moores Lane, Texarkana, Texas.
There will be a panel of local professionals to answer questions and speak on the topic. There will also be other resources and education. Refreshments will be served at the event, which is sponsored by Celebrate Recovery at First Baptist Church, Olive Tree Counseling and Haven Homes Ministry.
"Our aim is to bring the medical community, education community and law enforcement together to bring awareness to anyone, any parent or children, about the opiate crisis affecting our area and to educate them on the importance of knowing the dangers of prescription pain medication so they can remove those medications out of the home and dispose of them properly," said Sonya Steward, an assimilation coach on the leadership team for Celebrate Recovery.
Steward said she would like to see some new programs put in place to put law enforcement, the education and medical communities on the same page.
"I feel like if we can work together as a team, then we can pack a more powerful punch and get more things accomplished to be better equipped to combat the opiate crisis in our area," she said.
She hopes the event will be a positive experience.
"The main objective and what we hope people take away from this event is a sense of hope that we're aware this opiate problem is affecting numerous people but there is hope. We recognize it and we're coming together to do something about it," said Steward, who would like to see this become an annual event.
Register for the event at the Facebook event page titled Opioid Crisis: Awareness to Action.