The opioid epidemic kills hundreds in the Daytona area. Here's how you can help stop it.

Clayton Park, Daytona Beach News-Journal
Updated ·2 min read
1

PORT ORANGE ― The opioid epidemic is a crisis both nationally as well as here in Volusia County where 335 "accidental drug deaths" were recorded in 2022, according to the county's Medical Examiner's Office.

"That's like taking a jetliner full of passengers and crashing it each year," said Barbara Ann Heegan, CEO of the Port Orange South Daytona Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber on ThursdayApril 11 will host a lunchtime panel discussion on the effects of the opioid epidemic locally as well as what local businesses can do to create "recovery friendly" workplaces for employees.

The open-to-the public event will also feature a keynote address by Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood.

This is a screenshot of the flier for the Port Orange South Daytona Chamber of Commerce's upcoming Power Networking Luncheon on Thursday, April 11, 2024. The event, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Riverside Pavilion in Port Orange, will feature a keynote address by Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood and a panel discussion. The topic is "The Opioid Epidemic & the Workplace" and what businesses can do to help curb the problem.

Who will be on the panel?

The panelists will include Karen Chrapek, executive director of the Volusia Recovery Alliance, Volusia County Councilmembers Matthew Reinhart and Danny Robins, Lane Jennings Jr., program supervisor and coordinator of adult behavioral services at Halifax Health, attorney Doug Collins of Cobb Cole Law Firm, and Dr. Stephen C. Viel, a Shoreline Medical Addiction Treatment specialist with Halifax Health.

What else is on the agenda?

The event will include a training session on how to respond if you encounter someone who is experiencing a drug overdose. Each participant will receive free Narcan courtesy of the Volusia Recovery Alliance and its "New Chance Narcan Outreach Committee. Narcan, also known as Naloxone, is a medicine that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose.

Will they serve lunch?

The event is free to attend. The chamber will provide attendees with the option of paying $25 for lunch.

Where will it be held?

The event will take place at the Riverside Pavilion (where the chamber is located) at 3431 S. Ridgewood Ave. in Port Orange.

Barbara Ann Heegan, president and CEO of the Port Orange South Daytona Chamber of Commerce, stands in front of the chamber's offices at Riverside Pavilion in Port Orange on Friday, March 1, 2024.
Barbara Ann Heegan, president and CEO of the Port Orange South Daytona Chamber of Commerce, stands in front of the chamber's offices at Riverside Pavilion in Port Orange on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Is there a deadline to reserve a seat?

Yes. Pre-registration is required by Monday, April 8. You can reserve a seat by visiting the chamber's website at pschamber.com and clicking on "events." For more information, call the chamber at 386-761-1601 or send an email to bheegan@pschamber.com

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Opioid use kills hundreds in the Daytona area. Here's how to fight it.