MARS — The second installment in Butler County’s opioid forum series will feature experts from the fields of medicine and law enforcement, as well as the stories of recovering addicts told in their own words.

The forum is open to the public and will begin at 7 p.m. Dec. 8 in the auditorium of Mars High School.

Butler County Sheriff’s Deputy Mark Pfeffer and Dr. David Rottinghaus, the medical director of Butler Health System’s emergency department, will headline the forum’s two main “conversations,” said Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche. She said county officials hoped to continue their push to educate people about addiction, and push back against the stigma that is often associated with addiction.

“I think the public just has to be continually reminded of how fragile we all are, and to understand that there is hope,” she said. “It takes a lot of education to break down the walls and help people understand how anybody can get there, how anybody can find themselves in those shoes.”

Pfeffer, who also participated in the county’s initial forum on Oct. 28, will reprise his role from that event and speak more on the subject of Naloxone — how, when and why police officers use the overdose antidote, and why it’s important for people to familiarize themselves with the signs of addiction and drug overdoses.

Pfeffer said he was impressed with the level of interest visitors at the first forum expressed in the topic, and wants to continue having a countywide conversation about how overdose antidotes fit into the county’s response to the heroin and opioid crisis.

“I think we had a lot of great questions and back-and-forth conversation,” Pfeffer said of interest expressed about Naloxone during the first forum.

“The goal continues to be strengthening the community awareness, so people who care for one another can recognize the signs and possibly help save somebody’s life,” Pfeffer said.

Sheriff Michael Slupe, whose office has long been a proponent of widening the use and availability of Naloxone, said he wants people to understand that the driving forces behind his advocacy are compassion and preparedness.

“Saving lives was always number one,” Slupe said. “Let’s face it: not every addict is an addict by choice. The second layer of that is the potential to save an officer’s life or maybe a small child who accidentally comes into contact with a laced product.”

Rottinghaus will discuss the hospital’s emerging designation as a Center for Opioid Excellence under Gov. Tom Wolf’s response to the crisis, as well as how the crisis has impacted the lives of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals on the job in places like the emergency room of Butler Memorial Hospital. Rottinghaus said he hopes people begin to see how different facets of the issue — what legislators do in Harrisburg, how medical professionals deal with it on the job; how families can help get loved ones into rehab; and the roles of law enforcement and EMS crews — all relate to and influence each other.

“It’s not just the addicts. It’s the family, friends and community that need to be aware of these things,” Rottinghaus said. “There’s a lot of people who will tell you how it got started. But the bottom line is, we have a major problem on our hands, and it’s not about a national fix. I love that Butler is coming together as a community and approaching this in a very raw and real way.”

Butler County Coroner William Young III said that his office has confirmed 51 deaths from drug overdoses so far this year, with several autopsies still pending in cases that could add to that total. He said the issue’s complexity can often lead people to throw up their hands in frustration.

“We need to do something; it’s an epidemic,” Young said. “I just don’t know what the answer is.”

Osche said the forum will also include two “young adults,” who are currently in recovery for addiction and will share their stories with people — something J. Dayle Ferguson, president of the Mars school board, said the district hoped would add depth and nuance to the emerging conversation about opioids and overdose deaths throughout the county.

“From our perspective as an educational institution, education is a powerful tool of prevention,” said Ferguson. “Anecdotes and life lessons can tell a compelling and hopefully influential story.”