An event discussing the nationwide opioid epidemic hitting Livingston County will be held next week.

The forum, which is sponsored by Project Opiate and The Big Red Barrel, will have speakers from across different agencies and try to bring attention towards the opioid crisis that Livingston County it experiencing. With nearly 2.5 million people affected by the crisis across the United States, Michigan is one of the hardest hit states, according to Livingston County District Court Administrator Francine Zysk. She says the meeting on the 7th is one that residents and workers within the county should attend. "We have done a lot of things on prevention and education so there are a lot of great organizations doing a lot of different things; what's going on legislatively, what's going on nationally, what's going on in law enforcement, what's going on in the court system, is coming together to say that we are aware of the issues and we're gonna press forward on what we are gonna do and we can all come together and join."

The event will be held from 1 to 5pm, Monday, May 7th at the Livingston County Judicial Center in Howell. It is entirely free and an RSVP is not needed. For more information contact Zysk, fzysk@livgov.com, or Shera Novak, Snovak@livgov.com, you can also call at 517-540-7665. (EO/JK)