Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC) will partner with the Center for Humanistic Change in Allentown to offer a half-day Opioid Addiction Education Forum, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Feb. 19, via the Zoom online meeting platform.

The isolation and stress caused by COVID-19 to the recovery community has been dramatic and severe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that overdoses have increased by as much as 19 percent.

The forum is free and open to the community, but participants must preregister. The forum also offers three continuing education credits to social workers, as well as PCB credits.

Lisa Wolff from the Center for Humanistic Change will present naloxone training.

Paige Roth, program coordinator for Addiction Recovery Services at Lehigh Valley Health Network, will explain new programs to connect struggling people with treatment in the wake of an overdose.

Emily Leonardo, a Certified Recovery Specialist, will discuss her outreach to addicted individuals.

Participants will be able to join a search for drugs hidden in a typical teen bedroom through an interactive virtual version of the Mock Teen Bedroom.

Forum participants will learn about opioid use disorders and the use of Narcan to rescue people from overdoses.

Local treatment centers and self-help groups will also be available to answer questions and share resources.

The forum is funded through the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, which gave $1 million statewide in federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grants to prevent and reduce the use of opioids by college students.

Information: Molly Stanton, opioid prevention educator, mstanton@lccc.edu, or Brian DeLong, project director, bdelong2@lccc.edu.