Williston To Host Opioid Town Hall Meeting Dec. 20 At The ARC

The City of Williston is calling on residents to help find solutions to the problems caused by opioid addiction.

The North Dakota Department of Human Services and City of Williston are presenting an Opioid Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 6 p.m., at the Williston Area Recreation Center. The meeting is free and open to the public.

The City of Williston, NDDHS, and other city, county and state agencies, law enforcement groups and health care organizations will be present for the Opioid Town Hall. The meeting was called in response to the Williston Police Department’s recent announcement that four Williston residents had died of suspected opioid overdose in October and November. Since the announcement, the WPD has received confirmation that the first death was fentanyl-related; results from the other three are still pending.

“We know it’s happening locally; and we (Williston Police Department) sat down and said ‘ok, this is four suspected opioid deaths and the first thing we needed to do was notify the community’,” said Danielle Hendricks, Williston Police Department Detective. “The second thing the department did was to authorize overtime shifts and partner with other law enforcement entities for the sole purpose of identifying narcotic violations with a focus of removing the drugs from the community.”

While law enforcement is increasing efforts to reduce drug activity, city leaders are working to increase awareness about opioid addiction, the signs of abuse and what to do if you or a loved one is having a problem with opioids.

This is a community issue and the community will need to work together to come up with a solution with the current resources that are available,” said Laurie Gotvaslee, Regional Director of the Northwest/North Center Human Service Centers.

The Opioid Town Hall Meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the Williston Area Recreation Center in the meeting rooms. The public is welcome to participate, share stories and offer solutions.

“We are aware that there are dangerous drugs within our community and we need everyone to combat this problem together,” said Hendricks.

If you would like to report a drug crime anonymously, please contact Crimestoppers.