ONEONTA – State Senator James Seward (R-Oneonta) is spearheading a local charge to gather community input regarding the local heroin epidemic.

Seward, along with his Senate collogues appointed to the state’s Joint Senate Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Addiction, will host a roundtable discussion to solicit ideas and suggestions from community members and stakeholders next Tuesday, Feb. 23, from noon to 2 p.m. inside the Hunt Union Ballroom at SUNY College at Oneonta.

The roundtable discussion will include insights from local health professionals, law enforcement, and experts in addiction, all sharing their concerns over the heroin crisis and what steps state officials can take to minimize its impact.

According to Seward, events like this are essential in the decision-making process to combat heroin.

“In 2014, I conducted a similar task force hearing in Oneonta and the testimony was instrumental in helping develop a number of new state laws to educate the public about the dangers of heroin, improve treatment options, and aid law enforcement officials,” Seward said in a statement released last week. “This will be an opportunity to review what is working in our communities and identify gaps in service as we explore additional measures to contend with this public health crisis.”