Lake Erie College, crime lab teaming up

Pair of panel discussions with area experts planned

Lake Erie College and the Lake County Crime Lab are teaming up for a pair of events about the opioid epidemic.

Dubbed the Opioid Outreach & Education Evenings, panel discussions with area experts will take place April 10 and April 17 at the college. Question-andanswer sessions will follow the panel discussions. Local addiction treatment and rehabilitation specialists will be on hand to speak with individuals and their families struggling with addiction in the county.

The April 10 event will focus on the science of addiction and related legal ramifications. The April 17 event will discuss rehabilitation and the psychology of addiction. The events both begin at 6 p.m. in the Helen Rockwell Morley Memorial Music Building at Lake Erie College in Painesville.

According to an college news release, Dr. Jonathan Tedesco will serve as the emcee of each event, moderating the panel discussions before turning the conversation over to the audience. Tedesco is the dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and an associate professor of chemistry.

Tedesco conceptualized the panels with Doug Rohde, who serves as the supervisor of chemistry and toxicology at the Crime Lab and is an adjunct instructor at the college.

“The opioid epidemic is a community issue that affects a large number of people in different ways,” Tedesco said. “Education is always one of the first steps to solving a problem. Institutions like ours have a responsibility to not just be part of the discussion, but to foster and lead that discussion in an informed and compassionate way.”

Ohio is one of the hardest-hit states by the opioid epidemic and the death toll continues to increase at alarming rates. The state’s overdose deaths climbed 39 percent between July 2016 and July 2017 according to the Centers for Disease Control. There were 5,256 overdose deaths — fueled largely by opioids — over that stretch.

The increase was the third largest nationwide over that period. It trailed only Pennsylvania (43.4 percent) and Florida (39.4).

Rohde recently spoke at a Lake County commissioners meeting where he said his lab has encountered at least half a dozen new fentanyl analogs this year alone.

“Illicitly manufactured opioids are emerging as a significant threat to public health,” Rohde said. “By presenting educational panels on opioids, we hope to help Lake County residents better understand the opioid epidemic and the crisis we’re facing.”

Both Opioid Outreach & Education Evenings are free and open to the public. Panelists for the events include representatives from Emerald Jenny Foundation, Crossroads, Beacon Health, the Concord Township Fire Department, Signature Health, the Lake County Crime Laboratory, the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office, the Lake County General Health District and LEC.

Those with firsthand experience with the epidemic will also participate, including Twinsburg pharmacist Rose DeRoia, who lost a son to opiate addiction.

“I am beyond blessed to be my son’s voice in the hopes of educating the public and reducing the stigma that haunts us all,” DeRoia said. “Forums like these panels are crucial to addressing the opiate epidemic. By providing education and awareness, we are working toward ending the stigma around this chronic relapsing disease of the brain.”