May 20, 2019 - Community leaders will come together to examine the underlying issues that lead to opioid and substance use disorders and how we support those fighting addiction.

The Restoring Community Symposium is intended to foster connection and collaboration among patients, families, clinicians, mental health providers, judicial systems, government, policy makers, and social service agencies to address opioid abuse.

Experts will discuss topics such as overdose fatality data, science of substance use disorders, community collaboration efforts, justice system interventions, peer recovery, and current responses to the epidemic.

The Restoring Community Symposium will be held from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday, May 21 at Indiana Tech’s Andorfer Commons, 1600 E. Washington Blvd. The event is sold out.

The opening session of the event will be Restoring Community: Coming Together to Overcome the Opioid Crisis. Speakers will be Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry, Fort Wayne Police Chief Steve Reed, Fort Wayne Police Department Captain Kevin Hunter and Jim McClelland, Indiana Executive Director for Drug Prevention, Treatment and Enforcement.

Breakout sessions will include:
*Turning Hope into Action: The Lutheran Foundation and FATOS
*Allen County Criminal Justice System: Introducing Family Drug Courts
*Overdose Fatality Review Teams
*Law Enforcement: Stopping the Flow of Illicit Drugs
*How to Work Together: The 4Cs of Collective Impact
*The Impact of the Drug Crisis on Schools

In addition, local treatment providers and other community resource organizations will host informational booths prior to a lunch break.

The closing session of the event will be Restoring Community – Hope for a Brighter Tomorrow.

The symposium is being sponsored by the City of Fort Wayne, the Fort Wayne Police Department, the Allen County Drug and Alcohol Consortium, Mental Health America of Northeast Indiana, and Indiana Tech.