Mar 1, 2016 2 min read

U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton reported in February there have been 222 overdoses – 33 of them fatal – in Washington County since August.

To help local communities find their role in breaking the heroin connection, Peters Township Public Library and the League of Women Voters of Washington County are partnering to host “Heartbreak Close to Home: The Heroin Epidemic in Our Communities” at 7 p.m. March 31 at Peters Township Middle School, 625 E. McMurray Road.

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. so those who attend can review handouts and resources. Adults and teens are encouraged to attend.

Guest speakers will provide an overview of the rising heroin overdose epidemic in area communities. Treatment, legal issues and the importance of prevention will be discussed by:

• Eugene A. Vittone, Washington County district attorney;

• Harry J. Freucht, Peters Township Police chief/public safety director;

• Dr. Owen Traynor, board-certified emergency medicine physician and director of EMS and prehospital care at St. Clair Hospital;

• Dr. Neil A. Capretto, medical director at Gateway Rehabilitation Center;

• Tammy Taylor, prevention supervisor with the Washington Drug & Alcohol Commission;

• Philip Little, education and outreach specialist, Office of Attorney General, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Jacqueline Campbell from the League of Women Voters of Washington County will moderate the program and questions. Washington County Commissioner Harlan G. Shober Jr. will offer closing remarks.

Vittone and Capretto both testified at a U.S. Senate hearing in October in Pittsburgh on the drug overdose epidemic.

Registration is required by emailing programs@ptlibrary.org or calling 724-941-9430 and pressing #1.