BRATTLEBORO — The public is invited to attend “Ripple Effects of the Opioid Epidemic,” a presentation by journalist Randy Rieland on Friday, Aug. 9, from noon to 1 p.m. at Strolling of the Heifers' Brown Bag Lunch Series at the River Garden, 157 Main St.
Much of the attention of the opioid epidemic has been focused on the staggering number of deaths it has caused, particularly in rural communities. But it has also affected families, police, EMTs, health workers and local businesses.
Rieland will share how some communities are coping. A 42-year veteran of print and broadcast journalism, he now writes regularly for Smithsonian.com and Next Avenue, a PBS website for people over 50.
He also writes for Foothills Forum, a journalism nonprofit serving a community in rural Virginia. For the past three years, he was awarded first prize in explanatory journalism by the Virginia Press Association.
He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Carol Ryder.
The event is free and accessible to people with disabilities. For more information, contact bbl@strollingoftheheifers.com.