LEWISTON — Local organizations and individuals dealing with the area’s opioid drug crisis will hold a community “listening session” next week to provide information and perspective on the problem.

The event will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 31, at the Lewiston Middle School auditorium, with light refreshments served beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Carol Kelly from Pivot Point Inc. will facilitate the event, which will feature panelists representing schools, prevention, law enforcement, physicians, treatment and recovery. Family members also will speak.

Attendees will learn what is happening locally with opiate and heroin addiction. The discussion will be open to the audience for community input, shared experiences, ideas for addressing addiction and ongoing needs.

According to the Maine Attorney General’s Office, there were 107 deaths from heroin and a total of 157 deaths from heroin, fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl or some combination in 2015. In addition, about 15,500 Mainers received opioid addiction treatment in 2015.

The recently released 2015 Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey indicates 2.7 percent of middle school youths and 5.1 percent of high school youths in Androscoggin County used a prescription drug (such as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, codeine, Adderall, Ritalin or Xanax) without permission in the past 30 days. Furthermore, 3.9 percent of high school youths in Androscoggin County reported having used heroin at least one time.

For more information, contact Healthy Androscoggin at 207-795-5990 or visit www.healthyandroscoggin.org.