Session discussing opioids set Friday in Havre

A discussion about the challenges of substance abuse and possible solutions to the issue will take place Friday at Havre Inn & Suites, the last of four scheduled listening sessions throughout Montana coordinated by the Montana Healthcare Foundation.

Sessions were held in Kalispell and Butte in June. A third session is set in Billings Thursday.  

The session is free and open to the public and starts at 10 a.m. Lunch will be served.

Participants in Friday’s discussion will include representatives from the Montana Department of Justice’s Office of Consumer Protections, the Division of Criminal Investigation, Montana Highway Patrol, Montana Department of Corrections and the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.

The public will also have an opportunity to speak with professionals who deal with the issue of substance abuse.

Eric Sell, spokesperson with the Montana Department of Justice said the sessions are part of the Department’s Addressing the Impact of Drugs or AID Montana. The initiative spearheaded by the department was launched in April to develop a comprehensive plan to tackle substance abuse.

The sessions are part of the information gathering phase in the development of the plan.

“This is education, treatment, prevention, law enforcement, pretty much everything you need to take a look at to address substance abuse within the state,” Sell said.  

A summit will be held in Helena this fall.

People who wish to attend can RSVP Katie Loveland of the Montana Healthcare Foundation at [email protected].