SIGN UP NOW: WFMJ, Partners host talk-back sessions on the heroin epidemic
21 WFMJ, the Vindicator, The Warren Tribune Chronicle, and WKSU Radio will host three community talk-back sessions regarding what we can do to help the heroin epidemic in our Valley.

It’s clear that the heroin epidemic is having a devastating impact on families across the Valley.
That’s why 21 WFMJ and other top local news organizations have joined together to investigate solutions to the problem. The most important step in this process involves hearing from ordinary citizens about how the epidemic is affecting them and what needs to be done to fix it.
21 News, The Vindicator, the Tribune Chronicle and WKSU radio have set aside their traditional competitive relationships to pool their reporting resources to generate solution-oriented stories based on feedback from the community.
We begin by inviting you to take part in an open forum to let us know what you think.
There will be no cameras, no sound bites, and no pressure, just an honest discussion of what can be done to fix the heroin problem.
We’ve scheduled three talk-back sessions in October in the areas hardest hit by the epidemic. Click the link below to sign up for one of them.
The Opioid Epidemic in Youngstown
Sunday, 10/22, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown
2105 Oak Hill Ave., Youngstown, OH 44507
The Opioid Epidemic in Warren
Monday, 10/23, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Warren YWCA,
375 N Park Ave, Warren, OH 44481
The Opioid Epidemic in Struthers
Tuesday, 10/24, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Mauthe Park Multipurpose Center, Mauthe Park,
156 Smithfield St, Struthers, OH 44471
The talk-back sessions will explore three topics:
1. How is the opioid epidemic affecting you, your family, and your neighborhood?
2. What do you see as causes of the epidemic in your community?
3. What steps might we take to combat the opioid epidemic?
You can register to attend any of the three sessions by clicking here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-opioid-epidemic-in-the-mahoning-valley-tickets-37916374898
If you already have a suggestion on how to deal with the opioid crisis email them to Doug Oplinger at [email protected]. Doug is working with the Jefferson Center, a non-partisan, non-profit organization to help facilitate this project.
All three of the talkback sessions are free to attend, however, there is limited seating for each event
What is Your Voice Mahoing Valley:
Your Voice Mahoning Valley grows from a belief that the people are not being heard and that solutions to problems they face are not receiving adequate attention. The project is part of a statewide effort begun in late 2015 as Ohio news organizations worked together, experimenting with new ways to represent the people of Ohio in the 2016 election.
Backed by research conducted by the Jefferson Center, a non-partisan civic research organization in St. Paul, and polling by the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron, the news organizations, led by the Akron Beacon Journal, developed a working model for listening to Ohioans and joining with the public in working toward solutions.
The Your Voice Ohio media project has selected the Mahoning Valley as a test site to work closely with citizens in identifying solutions to the heroin epidemic. What the people decide here will be used as a model for other news outlets to tackle the crisis statewide, and then launch conversations about the economy.
In the Mahoning Valley, participants are WFMJ-TV, The Vindicator, the Warren Tribune Chronicle and WKSU/National Public Radio. To see more on the statewide news partners and the project, go to www.yourvoiceohio.org