Fighting The Opiate Epidemic

The abuse of opiates, including certain prescription drugs and heroin, has reached epidemic proportions throughout Ohio.

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This significant public health problem has resulted in a dramatic rise in accidental deaths and immeasurable heartache. Join us as Summit County Safety Council hosts a public forum on combating the opiate epidemic. You will learn:

The History of Heroin including the reason behind the current epidemic
The current issues and trends, how the drug works and why people are dying
What the First Responders are seeing and how it impacts communities
The scope of the problem in Ohio and Summit County
Addiction as a disease
What Summit County is doing about the epidemic

Presented by~

Lt. Joseph Shumaker - EMS Training - Akron Fire Dept.

Lt. Shumaker has been with the Akron Fire Dept. for 25 years, recently working as EMS Training Lieutenant. He has worked in the North Hill area of Akron for the last 23 years as a fireman and paramedic.

Joe Rody - Fire Fighter/Paramedic - Garfield Hts. Fire Dept.

Joe has been a Firefighter/Paramedic for 27 years. He is also a Cleveland Clinic Emergency Room Specialist. He is a certified First Aid/CPR and AED instructor. While in service, Joe has earned two medals for bravery given by Congressional Representatives Dennis Kucinich and Barbara Pringle. On the front line as a first responder, Joe is too often exposed to the tragic results of our communities’ heroin epidemic and he is passionate about educating all sectors on effects and prevention.

Doug Smith, MD - Medical Director/CCO - County of Summit ADM Board

Dr. Doug Smith completed his Medical Degree at the University Of Maryland School of Medicine and his Internship and Residency in General Psychiatry at the Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, where he served as the Outpatient Chief Resident in his final year. He then completed a Fellowship in Forensic Psychiatry through a combined program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. For over 10 years he served in the role of Medical Director for 3 Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare inpatient and 3 outpatient sites until 4/30/12. Most recently, since 5/1/12, he has served as the Medical Director for the Summit County Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services Board.