Penn State Schuylkill and Lehigh Valley Hospital – Schuylkill partnered to present a free conference on the opioid crisis, connecting community members to the facts about the epidemic and resources to help fight the disease of addiction.
Glenn Sterner, assistant professor of criminal justice at Penn State Abington, delivered the keynote speech at Penn State Schuylkill and Lehigh Valley Hospital – Schuylkill’s “Opioids: The Crisis Next Door” conference, hosted at the Schuylkill campus on Sept. 21. Sterner’s talk, titled “Understanding the Opioid Crisis,” provided an overview of the epidemic from the early 2000s until today.
Dr. Gillian Beauchamp, emergency medical physician and toxicologist at the Lehigh Valley Health Network, delivered the final expert presentation of the day. Dr. Beauchamp works with an emergency room team and EMS professionals to treat overdose victims. “The idea,” says Beauchamp, “is that hope happens at a place like a hospital. It happens in an emergency department.”
Diane Rowland, prevention services coordinator at the Schuylkill County Drug and Alcohol Program, shared information about addiction prevention and informed attendees how to recognize the signs of drug abuse. Rowland concluded that knowing the signs of drug abuse helps prevent catastrophe, emphasizing, “The sooner a drug problem is recognized, the easier it is to get help.”
Bill Rowan, program director of the Center for Counseling Services at Lehigh Valley Hospital – Schuylkill, spoke about counseling and resources pertinent to the disease of addiction.
Schuylkill County District Attorney Michael O’Pake offered the crowd a legal perspective on controlling the opioid crisis. He admitted that he cannot stop the flow of drugs into the county, but explained that, “My goal is to lessen the impact of drugs in Schuylkill County."
In his keynote address, Dr. Glenn Sterner, assistant professor of Criminal Justice at Penn State Abington, provided an overview of the opioid crisis from the early 2000s until today. “This is a disease. This is not a moral failing,” he said.
The 2019 fall sports season is well underway, and the Penn State Schuylkill's Women's Athletics program has produced some standout sports performances.
