May 18 conference on opioid epidemic to be held on SIU campus

A May 18 symposium hosted by the SIU School of Law will explore the nation's opioid epidemic and look at ways to address the crisis. Registration is open until May 11.

The 19th-annual SIH/SIU Health Policy Institute program, "Opening Pandora's Bottle: Law, Policy and America's Opioid Epidemic," is May 18 at SIU's Hiram H. Lesar Law Building Auditorium.

Registration fees range from $35 to $75 and include lunch at the conference location. The event runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Registration information is available by calling 618-536-7751.

Michele Mekel, an adjunct law professor and SIH/SIU health law and policy programming director, noted the opioid crisis impacts every segment of a community. In 2016, opioid misuse, including abuse of prescription painkillers and heroin, resulted in 33,000 deaths nationwide and nearly 2,000 deaths in Illinois.

The conference's goal is to educate medical and legal professionals on parameters of the opioid epidemic and provide them with tools to address the crisis as professionals, policy advocates and community members, Mekel said.

A free screening and discussion of the Oscar-nominated documentary "Heroin(e)" is at 7:30 p.m. May 17 in the law school's auditorium.

The film follows three female professionals on the frontline of the battle against the opioid epidemic in West Virginia.