Youngstown State Will Host Opioid Crisis Symposium
Filmmaker Nancy Bannon and Judge John Durkin will speak on addiction at Stambaugh Auditorium on October 15, 2026.
Updated on Oct. 14, 2026 in Substance Abuse
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Youngstown State University will host filmmaker Nancy Bannon and Judge John Durkin at the Centofanti Symposium on October 15, 2026. The speakers will discuss their documentary If You are Breathing, which highlights the impact of the opioid crisis in Mahoning County.
Why it matters
The Centofanti Symposium aims to address the health, social, and emotional needs of local groups through awareness. The documentary and discussion focus on the experiences of first responders and drug courts in managing the regional addiction epidemic.
Judge John Durkin founded a local drug court in 1997 to address substance use disorder among defendants. The annual Centofanti Symposium has been held at the university since 2013.
The players
Nancy Bannon
She is a filmmaker who collaborated on the documentary If You are Breathing to examine the local opioid crisis.
John Durkin
He is a judge who established a drug court in the Mahoning Valley in 1997 to support individuals with substance use disorder.
Youngstown State University
This educational institution hosts the annual Centofanti Symposium to address community health and social needs.
The details
The documentary If You are Breathing chronicles the realities of addiction through the lens of local drug courts. Filmmaker Nancy Bannon and Judge John Durkin collaborated on the project to demonstrate how local systems respond to those suffering from substance use disorder.
Timeline
1997: Judge John Durkin established the drug court in the Mahoning Valley.
2013: The Centofanti Symposium was established at the university.
October 15, 2026: The symposium features Bannon and Durkin at Stambaugh Auditorium.
Health Landscape
The event highlights the role of the Mahoning County drug court program as a model for regional addiction response. This discussion reflects a broader shift toward integrating judicial interventions with specialized public health support for substance use disorders.
Residents can attend the event to better understand how local drug courts and first responders manage the opioid crisis. The discussion provides insight into the support systems available for those navigating substance use disorder in the community.
The takeaway
This event demonstrates how collaboration between legal experts and filmmakers can help demystify the recovery process. Attendees can better support local health initiatives by learning how judicial systems and first responders intersect to aid those in need.
Further reading
For more information on community resources, visit the Substance Abuse section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Jambar.
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