89.3 WFPL News will host a community conversation to address Kentucky’s growing heroin crisis on Thursday, April 16 in The Old Medical School Building located on the corner of 1st and Chestnut Street. Panelists include: WFPL Health Reporter Ja’Nel Johnson, State Capitol Bureau Chief Ryland Barton, Karyn Hascal, President of The Healing Place, Jennifer Hancock, Volunteers of America of Kentucky President, and Mark Bolton, Director of the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections, which houses the region’s largest detox facility.

Program begins at 6:00 p.m., doors open at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Parking is available at the YMCA Garage on Second Street.

89.3 WFPL has reported on the heroin surge and the response to what many call a public health epidemic. The community conversation comes as a follow-up to a recent news special on 89.3 WFPL News. The event will be held as part of The Next Louisville: Community Health. The WFPL News Community Health project examines all aspects of health and healthcare in the region, from institutions to legislation to individuals. The Next Louisville project is a partnership of WFPL News, the Community Foundation of Louisville and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.