COLUMBUS (WCMH) — NBC4’s Mike Jackson and Colleen Marshall hosted a town hall meeting on Tuesday, April 18 to confront the drug and opioid crisis throughout central Ohio.

From treatment for the addicts, to help for the children of addicts, to the safety net needed for injured veterans who become hooked, this gathering was an example of how wide of a shadow the heroin epidemic can cast.

Dr. Teresa Long says an emergency response surge system is in place in Columbus–but like a community problem, it must be a community solution.

“I think many of us feel underneath all of it we need to create more treatment options, and again, more around education and prevention,” she said. “It’s gonna take all of us. We can do it.”