New initiative Opioid Network lobbies legislators – The Vindicator

By Jordyn Grzelewski

Standing in the marble-floored hallway of a U.S. Senate building, Don LoGiudice of Boardman recalled the morning he found his son, Donny, dead from a drug overdose.

He described the way his son sat slumped over in his bed and the look of horror on Donny’s face that he will never forget.

Two and a half years since that tragic morning in April 2015, LoGiudice brought his fight against the opioid epidemic to Congress.

VIDEO: Valley locals visit D.C. to oppose addiction treatment cuts

He was among several dozen people who visited Capitol Hill on Monday as part of a new initiative called the Opioid Network. The network brings together community-organizing groups from across the country. Monday’s event drew participants from Delaware, New Hampshire, Alaska, Vermont, New York, Indiana and other locations. Numerous Ohioans attended, including six from the Youngstown area. Participating groups included Valley Voices United for Change and Ohio Change Addiction Now.