Opioid crisis will be focus of Sept. 6 forum in western Mass.

A half-day forum addressing the opioid crisis and its toll on western Massachusetts will be held on Friday morning, Sept. 6, at the UMass Amherst Campus Center.

“Addressing the Opioid Crisis in Small and Rural Communities in Western Massachusetts” will examine the epidemic’s social and economic effects on communities. The discussion will focus on the unique challenges faced by cities and towns in western Massachusetts as well as innovative solutions.

The forum is being held in connection with work supported by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, UMass Amherst’s School of Public Health and Health Sciences, RIZE Massachusetts, and Baystate Health.

The forum will run from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the UMass Amherst Campus Center at 1 Campus Center Way. The event will take place in the Amherst Room on the 10th floor.

A continental breakfast will be served during registration between 8 and 8:30 a.m.

• The forum agenda can be found on the Massachusetts Health Policy website at tinyurl.com/opioidwestmass.

• To register, visit https://slate.brandeis.edu/register/addressingopioidcrisis2019.

For more information, contact Ashley Osorio at ambrooks@brandeis.edu or 781-736-3940.