U.S. Attorney's Office, Cleveland Clinic And Others To Host Daylong Summit On Heroin Epidemic

The Cleveland Clinic and United States Attorney’s Office, together with many partners, will host a daylong summit on the growing heroin epidemic in Northeast Ohio on Thursday, November 21 at the InterContinental Hotel.

“Heroin: A Crisis Facing Our Entire Community” will look at heroin abuse from the perspectives of the medical, treatment, education, prevention and law enforcement communities. The day will culminate with the development of community action plan that will lay out strategies and next steps in turning back the tide of heroin addiction.

“Greater Cleveland’s leading institutions are coming together to find solutions to this public health crisis,” said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. “The fight against heroin is not just about arrests.  It is also about prevention and treatment.”

“We support the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for bringing together this collaboration to stop the escalating abuse of heroin taking place in our communities,” said David Rowan, Cleveland Clinic’s Chief Legal Officer. “Through this summit, we have an opportunity to fight this battle on multiple levels by bringing together healthcare providers, criminal investigators, and experts in addiction and counseling.” 

The summit will take place Nov. 21 from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m at the InterContinental Hotel, 9801 Carnegie Ave., Cleveland, 44106.

The threat is real. Heroin overdose fatalities are up about 400 percent in recent years in parts of Northeast Ohio. Police and prosecutors report a huge influx in both the availability of heroin and the number of heroin-related crimes.

There are also significant challenges from this crisis that are facing the medical profession. Doctors are grappling with how to effectively treat pain will responsibly prescribing opioids. Treatment professionals struggle with how to provide resources and help to people struggling with addiction, while parents, educators and others search for effective strategies to keep people from trying heroin in the first place.

The daylong event will feature speakers at the forefront of dealing with the heroin epidemic, as well as panel discussions and breakout sessions.

The summit is sponsored by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Cleveland Clinic, the Cuyahoga County Executive, the Ohio Attorney General, MetroHealth Medical Center, University Hospitals, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, the Cleveland Division of Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Ohio State Medical Board, the Ohio State Pharmacy Board, Cuyahoga County Board of Health, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner, the ADAMHS Board., the Westshore Enforcement Bureau and others.