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Several dozen parents attend town hall meeting on heroin crisis

PITTSBURGH — A town hall meeting was held Thursday night at North Hills Middle School for parents looking for information on a recent deadly string of heroin overdoses.

Several speakers from the Pennsylvania Alliance for Safe and Drug-Free Children told several dozens of parents in attendance about this serious problem.

Nicole Kurash, of Gateway Rehab, was one of the speakers who gave parents advice on how to spot possible drug activity.“If you have a child (and) recognize a drug problem, get treatment. This is the time now where we can bring awareness to the fact that something can be done now,” said Kurash.

More than two dozen people have died locally after overdosing on a brand of heroin laced with a strong pain killer called fentanyl. While there is no such thing as “good” heroin, the recent deaths in the Pittsburgh area have all been linked to this particular batch laced with the pain killer.