Today’s all-day symposium at the Kroc Center in Coeur d’Alene is broken into three distinct categories, according to Katherine Hoyer, public information officer for Panhandle Health. The first session at 10 am is geared toward health care providers dealing with addicts in one-on-one scenarios. This education will focus primarily on appropriate patient care and attention to pain management and will be led by Dr. Ben Perschau of Kootenai Health and Dr. Jessica Jameson of Axis Spine Center.

The second session at 1 pm will focus on education for responders, including paramedics and professionals in emergency care. This section of the symposium will look at discuss challenges and best practices when responding to addiction issues, such as overdoses and uncovering warning signs. The panel will include Jeff Lindsey of Bonner County EMS, Panhandle Health’s Rural Communities Opioid Response project director, Scott Jones of the Phoenix’s Boise branch and Kate Aguirre of Marimn Health.

The final session at 5 pm is geared toward the general public and will feature two documentaries on the opioid epidemic, “Heroin(e)” and “Chasing the Dragon.” The panel will then talk about how opioid addiction impacts the community. The panel will feature Jones once again, as well as Kootenai County Coroner Lynn Acebedo and Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger.