Sen. Kenny Yuko holding opiate town hall meeting

An opiate town hall meeting is coming to Euclid on May 17.

The event will run 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Moore Counseling & Meditation Services, 22639 Euclid Ave.

Ohio Sen. Kenny Yuko, D-Richmond Heights, is hosting the event. Yuko, the Senate minority leader, has held similar town hall events elsewhere in his district, including Painesville and South Euclid.

“We know for a fact 14 people in Ohio are dying every single day from drug overdose,” Yuko previously told the News-Herald. “This thing doesn’t discriminate. It can take down anybody from a highly successful lawyer to a person from the inner city. It can hit anybody and it often does, so the purpose of these town hall meetings are to be informative, share ideas and let people know they are not alone.”

Yuko is offering the introduction and closing remarks at the Euclid meeting. He is sharing what is being done at the state level to address the epidemic that claimed the lives of more than 5,000 Ohioans between mid-2016 and mid2017 alone. He also wants to engage with the audience to learn their thoughts on what should be addressed.

In addition to Yuko, there are three panelists scheduled to speak at the event. The first is Captain Kevin Kelly of the Euclid Police Department. Euclid Municipal Court Judge Patrick Gallagher will speak next followed by Dr. Martina Moore of Moore Counseling & Meditation Services. The agency provides services in mental health treatment, substance use disorder treatment, mediation, employee assistance programs and professional development.