Meeting held in Martinsville to help combat opioid, heroin use

Dozens of people attended

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Community leaders in Southside are coming together in a new way to help combat opioid and heroin use.

On Thursday night, members of law enforcement, healthcare workers and faith leaders watched a documentary about opioid and heroin use in Virginia.

Afterwards, there was a question and answer session.

A recovering addict also shared her perspective on the issue.

"(The community leaders) have all taken some steps to remedy that issue and now it's just a matter of pulling together the entire community, coming up with a plan," said acting U.S. District Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Rick Mountcastle.

"I'm sick of people dying around me every single day and I will do whatever it takes to be a woman in long term recovery; to be that face and voice of recovery," said recovering addict Honesty Liller.

The event was organized by the Western District of Virginia's U.S. District Attorney's Office.

Similar meetings have been held around the state with the goal of helping local leaders develop ways they can help combat opioid and heroin use.