This year’s annual Health Care Heroes Awards program, presented by BizTimes Media, will include a keynote address and panel discussion about the region’s opioid epidemic.
The event will be held on Friday, Dec. 14, from 7-9:30 a.m., at the Italian Community Center, 631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee.
The keynote speaker will be Adam Kindred, the director of prevention programming for Elevate Inc., who is in long-term recovery from substance abuse and addiction.
There will also be a panel discussion with experts on the opioid crisis in the area. The panelists will include:
- Beth Dejongh, associate professor of pharmacy for Concordia University Wisconsin.
- Ken Hartenstein, a licensed professional counselor for medication assisted treatment with Rogers Memorial Hospital.
- Kenneth Harris Jr., program director for the master of science in organizational leadership and administration at Concordia University Wisconsin.
The program will be presented as the opioid epidemic continues to become a bigger problem in the Milwaukee area and in southeastern Wisconsin. According to the Milwaukee County Opioid-Related Overdose Report, opioid-related deaths in the county increased from 144 in 2012 to 337 in 2017. For every death, there are about five people who experienced an overdose and survived.
The winners of the Health Care Heroes awards will be presented after the panel discussion. The names of the winners were announced recently.
Click here for more information, or to register for the program.
