We want your questions for opioid forum

David Plazas

USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee

Join the live conversation at 12 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, on the News Sentinel's Facebook page.
You can register to attend the free opioid forum on March 28 at forum.knoxnews.com.

The opioid epidemic is the No. 1 public health crisis in Tennessee.

In Knox County 237 people died of apparent drug overdoses just last year.

Law enforcement, health officials, and community and business leaders have been working to address the problem and find solutions at the state, local and federal level.

Opioid pain relievers, including OxyContin and Vicodin, have been the focus of a government campaign to reduce overdose deaths.

For that reason, The News Sentinel and Blue Cross Blue Shield are sponsoring Tennessee's Opioid Epidemic Forum on Tuesday, March 28, which is free and open to the public.

A week prior to the forum, at noon on Tuesday, March 21, I, as forum moderator, will be hosting a Facebook Live chat inviting questions and comments from the readers and viewers. The chat will be hosted on The News Sentinel's Facebook page.

More: Tennessee's Opioid Crisis

Post your thoughts in real time and we will take that to the forum panelists who are:

Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch
Dr. Martha Buchanan, director of the Knox County Health Department
Dr. Andrea Willis, chief medical officer for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee

The forum will be at 6-7:30 p.m. at the West High School Lecture Hall, 3300 Sutherland Blvd., Knoxville.

While admission is free, please register in advance by visiting the following link: forum.knoxnews.com.

David Plazas is the opinion editor for The Tennessean in Nashville. Reach him at dplazas@tennessean.com, (615) 259-8063 or via Twitter at @davidplazas.