Kiwanis Club hosts expert on opioid crisis as luncheon speaker

The work of the Florida Center for Early Childhood, helping children whose families have been swept up in the state’s opioid crisis, will be front and center on Thursday, May 17 at the Longboat Key Kiwanis Club’s monthly luncheon meeting.

According to figures from 2016, Manatee County had the highest rate of opioid-related deaths in the state, and Sarasota County ranked 16th of Florida’s 67 counties. In 2017, 247 opioid overdoses were investigated in Sarasota County alone.

Among the discussion points for the May 17 luncheon include local statistics, the effects of the opioid crisis on children in the Manatee and Sarasota County areas and the work to mitigate the problems.

A question and answer session with Dr. Kristie Skoglund, the vice president of Clinical Services at the Florida Center, will follow her presentation.

The event, which begins at 11:45 a.m. at the Portofino Restaurant and Grill (2600 Harbourside Drive), is open to the public.

Lunch is $24, which includes tip.

RSVP to club president Steve Branham at [email protected]