MEDIA ALERT
WHAT:
With illicit fentanyl surging into the state, resulting in the widely reported deaths of teenagers, Oregon Health & Science University will convene a roundtable discussion of experts addressing a rapid increase in poisonings from fentanyl, which is 50 to 100 times stronger than heroin and distributed as counterfeit pain pills. Young people can unknowingly be exposed to fake pills that contain fatal amounts of fentanyl. The discussion will focus on steps that parents, schools, and the general public can take to protect kids and others.
A live stream will be available for media members outside the Portland area. For a link to the live stream or to cover the event in-person, please RSVP to Erik Robinson, OHSU, at robineri@ohsu.edu or 971-373-3534.
WHO:
Panelists include the following:
- Moderator Todd Korthuis, M.D., M.P.H., professor of medicine and public health and head of Addiction Medicine at OHSU.
- Jennifer and Jon Epstein, Song for Charlie, Beaverton parents of a child who died after consuming a counterfeit pain pill with illicit fentanyl.
- Joni Busche, R.N., Beaverton School District nurse who has coordinated staff training in the use of naloxone to reverse overdoses among students as young as middle school.
- Ana Hilde, M.D., M.P.H., child and adolescent psychiatrist at Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest, providing care to youth in residential and outpatient programs, and medical director at Haven Counseling Collective, a dual diagnosis school-based program.
- Olivia Rae Wright, M.D., addiction medicine physician, director of PeaceHealth Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine Fellowship, medical provider at the Daybreak Youth Treatment Center, Vancouver, Wash.
- Tony Vezina, executive director, 4D Recovery Center, and co-chair of the Oregon Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission.
- Honora Englander, M.D., associate professor of medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine and director of Project IMPACT, an in-hospital addiction intervention program.
- Bradley Buchheit, M.D., assistant professor of family medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine, program director of the addiction medicine fellowship at OHSU, and medical director of the Harm Reduction and Bridges to Care (HRBR) clinic, a low-barrier clinic that provides medication for treatment of substance use disorder.
WHEN:
10:30 a.m., Wednesday, June 29.
WHERE:
OHSU Biomedical Information Communications Center (BICC), Marquam Hill Campus, 3171 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland. RSVP for location details.
DETAILS:
A moderated discussion is scheduled for 50 minutes, followed by 10 minutes for questions from media members. Panelists also will be available for individual interviews afterwards. A live stream will be available for media members outside the Portland area. For a link to the live stream or to cover the event in-person, please RSVP to Erik Robinson, OHSU, at robineri@ohsu.edu or 971-373-3534.