MDHHS Cancels Opioid Town Hall In Sterling Heights Amid COVID-19 Concerns
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - With the recent announcement of first presumptive positive COVID-19 cases in the state, the Michigan Opioids Task Force and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) have made the decision to cancel its opioid town hall scheduled in Sterling Heights on Thursday, March 12.
The event will be rescheduled at a later date as it is still a priority for state officials to learn more about how the opioid epidemic has impacted communities across Michigan.
"Michiganders have been preparing for COVID-19 for weeks, including basic measures such as washing their hands often, covering mouths and noses with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and staying home when they are sick," said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health. "However, Michigan must take further action to possibly avoid a rapid increase of cases in the state. Community mitigation strategies are crucial to slowing the transmission of the virus in Michigan, particularly before a vaccine or treatment becomes available."
In the interim, individuals who have questions or wish to provide input on the state's plans to address the opioids epidemic are invited to submit feedback to MDHHS-OpioidsTaskForce@michigan.gov. Additional information can be found at Michigan.gov/Opioids.
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