WILMINGTON — On Monday in Wilmington, Congressman David Rouzer will be hosting the 7th District Opioid Symposium, which builds upon his work to raise awareness, decrease the stigma, and inform members of the community on best practices throughout the district in an effort to curb the opioid epidemic.

“The 7th District of North Carolina is comprised of nine counties with a wide range of communities from urban to very rural. Throughout the district there are unique challenges presented by the opioid epidemic with a variety of initiatives that have been taken to address them,” Rouzer said. “The objective of the 7th District Opioid Symposium is to gather the best and brightest from across Southeastern North Carolina, those who have been working tirelessly on the issue, to spark a meaningful dialogue district-wide laying out best practices to address the issues of stigma, rehabilitation, prevention and enforcement. The Opioid Symposium will also serve as a resource for those who are either struggling or have a loved one struggling with addiction to learn where they can go for treatment and recovery in all nine counties across the 7th District.”

The symposium will be comprised of four different panels to address opioid-related issues and to share best practices: stigma, treatment and resources, prevention, and law enforcement. Each panel is expected to last 30 minutes.

Attendance to the event is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Once maximum capacity is reached, those unable to get a seat will be able to watch the event via live stream on Rouzer’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

A medication drop box will be set up as well, in order that guests may discard of unused medication.

“I am especially grateful to the wide-range of dedicated community servants who agreed to join my Opioid Steering Committee and have been meeting and collaborating with my office during the past 10 months to prepare for and make this event a reality,” Rouzer stated. “The 7th District Opioid Symposium will help complement the many efforts being made at all levels of the government to curb this scourge.”

The 7th District Opioid Symposium will be held in Wilmington at the Coastline Conference & Event Center, located on 501 Nutt Street, on Monday, July 30, from 6-8 p.m. Those wishing to attend the event in Wilmington are asked to RSVP here.