Wednesday, April 20, 2016 10:43 am

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Next Monday, officials from both Maine and New Hampshire will gather in Manchester to discuss the heroin epidemic with a focus on treatment and law enforcement.

Representatives Frank Guinta (NH-01) and Annie Kuster (NH-02) will bring the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic to Manchester. Their field hearing, titled "Investigating the Heroin Epidemic and Its Impacts on the Northeast," will focus strategies to end New England's drug epidemic, the number-one issue in New Hampshire and the Northeast.

Rep. Bruce Poliquin (ME-02) will join Guinta and Kuster, co-founders and chairs of the Task Force. The House members will hear from witnesses about treatment programs, criminal justice, and advocacy efforts. They will also present the legislative agenda that their Task Force plans to announce this week - a package of 15 bills they deem most likely to gather support in Congress and to help their districts overcome a growing public health crisis.

Check-in and registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, April 25, at:

The New Hampshire Institute of Politics

100 Saint Anselm Drive

Manchester, NH 03102

Participants and discussion topics include:

Protecting our Communities: Policing in a Public Health Crisis

Chief Deputy Michael Crabtree - Washington County (ME) Sheriff Department

Jay Fallon - Executive Director, New England High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area

James Vara - Senior Director of Substance Misuse and Behavioral Health, Office of Gov. Hassan

Chief Nick Willard - Manchester Police Department

Treating Addiction: Supporting Long-term Health and Recovery

Alexandra Hamel - Director of Residential Services, Keystone Hall

Patricia Kimball - Executive Director, Wellspring

Chief Justice Tina Nadeau - New Hampshire Superior Court

Dr. Seddon Savage - Clinician, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

Turning the Tide Together: Prevention, Intervention, and Advocacy

Traci Fowler - Chair, New Hampshire Prevention Task Force

Vicki Hebert - Coalition Coordinator, Dover Youth 2 Youth

Abi Lizotte - Seacoast Anti-Heroin Advocate

Donna Marston - Founder, Families Sharing without Shame