The Kutztown University Department of Social Work will host the 19th annual community forum March 3, including keynote speaker Admiral Rachel L. Levine, assistant secretary for health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

According to the news release, this in-person event will bring together social work professionals, university community members and community leaders to raise awareness and develop solutions to community needs, particularly as they pertain to families.

The community forum is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Schaeffer Auditorium.

Levine is scheduled to speak at 9:20 a.m., followed by a Q&A session.

This year’s community forum is centered on the topic of the opioid crisis.

Admiral Levine uses her leadership to improve the health and well-being of all Americans.

Also head of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Admiral Levine has worked to help this nation overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and build a stronger foundation for a healthier future, one in which every American can attain their full health potential, the news release states.

After graduating from Harvard College and Tulane University School of Medicine, Admiral Levine studied pediatrics and adolescent medicine at the Mt. Sinai Medical Center, New York City, N.Y.

She focused on the intersection between mental and physical health as a physician and was also a professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at Penn State College of Medicine.

In 2015, Gov. Tom Wolf nominated her to be Pennsylvania’s Physician General and she was subsequently unanimously confirmed by the state Senate. In March 2018, she was named Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Health.

During her time in state government, she worked to address Pennsylvania’s opioid crisis.

Her decision to issue a standing order for the anti-overdose drug, Naloxone, saved thousands of lives by allowing law enforcement to carry the drug and Pennsylvanians to purchase it without a prescription from their doctor.

For more information, contact Dr. Sharon Lyter, forum chair, at lyter@kutztown.edu.

Registration for this event is open to the public and admission is free.

To register, visit surveymonkey.com.