Opioid forum planned in Mundelein

The Daily Herald Business Ledger and Daily Herald Media group are presenting an opioid forum at 11 a.m. on May 9 in Mundelein.

The event, at the DoubeTree by Hilton Hotel, 510 E. Route 83, will feature a panel of experts who will discuss the widespread abuse of opioid drugs in the community and its impact on the workforce.

The panel will talk about the abuse of opioid drugs and steps being taken to address the crisis. The goal of the event is to provide awareness and education on the epidemic.

Panelists include Dr. Ankur Dave, interventional pain management specialist and medical director of pain management neurosciences institute at Amita Health; Dr. Gregory Teas, a psychiatrist and chief medical officer at Amita Health Behavioral Medicine Service Line; Mike Nerheim, Lake County State's Attorney and Dr. Peter Hoepfner of Illinois Bone & Joint Institute.

In 2014, an estimated 1.9 million Americans suffered from substance abuse disorder related to prescription opioid pain releavers and 435,000 people were estimated to be addicted to heroin, organizers of the event said.

And in Illinois, more people died from an opioid drug overdose in 2014 than from homicide or motor vehicle accidents.

Amita Health and Illinois Bone & Joint Institute are sponsoring the event.

The cost for the lunch event is $25. To register, go to dailyherald.com/events. For more contact Andy Zielonka at azielonka@dailyherald.com.