Participation Type
Roundtable
Session Title
Are we losing a generation?: Povert and Opioids in Rural and Urban Appalachian Communities
Session Abstract or Summary
Overlay a map of high opiate use by county onto one showing the highest levels of poverty by county and there is a startling relationship between the two. Unfortunately the crisis of opiate use in poor rural Appalachian counties and urban Appalachian neighborhoods is one factor that stitches us together. Often those who live in poor communities do not have the resources to cope with the problems caused by addiction. Public policies need to be developed that recognize the hardships of families struggling with members who are addicted. We are proposing a roundtable to explore the issue of opioids in our communities and discuss policies and interventions.
JD Vance and Wendy Welch will discuss their views about the crisis of opiate use in poor Appalachian rural and urban neighborhoods. We will use an interview format to begin the roundtable. Thomas Wagner will serve as convener and will ask Vance and Welch several questions to shape the discussion. After about thirty minutes of questions and answers, those in attendance will be asked to join the conversation by posing questions to speakers.
JD Vance, author of Hillbilly Elegy, has established a nonprofit organization in Columbus, Ohio to seek the best policies for this problem. He is especially interested in how to support family members, such as the children and their grandparents, who are impacted by opioid addiction.
Wendy Welch is editor of Public Health in Appalachia and executive director of the Graduate Medical Education Consortium in Southwest Virginia. She currently is preparing a book about foster care and adoption in the coalfields of Appalachia.
Presentation #1 Title
Are we losing a generation?: Povert and Opioids in Rural and Urban Appalachian Communities
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
A series of questions will be asked to begin roundtable discussion.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Thomas E. Wagner is University Professor Emeritus of Planning and Urban Studies at the University of Cincinnati.
Presentation #2 Title
JD Vance on Poverty and Opiates in Appalachian Communities
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
JD Vance will respond to the questions posed by the convener.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
JD Vance is a graduate of The Ohio State University and Yale Law School. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Hillbilly Elegy.
Presentation #3 Title
Wendy Welch on Poverty and Opioids in Rural and Urban Appalachian Communities
Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary
Wendy Welch will answer questions posed by the moderator.
Conference Subthemes
Health
Are we losing a generation?: Povert and Opioids in Rural and Urban Appalachian Communities
A series of questions will be asked to begin roundtable discussion.
