The UofL College of Arts and Sciences’ international, diversity and engagement programs office offers the free, public forums with the Yearlings at the civic club’s 4309 W. Broadway location. The series, part of the Signature Partnership Initiative, seeks to bring faculty members and the public together to share expertise, discuss issues and forge common bonds.

• The monthly fall events are:
  Sept. 17: “Fireside Chat and Welcome Reception for UofL President Neeli Bendapudi,” with Kentucky Sen. Gerald Neal as moderator. Bendapudi joined UofL as its 18th president in May. (5:15 p.m. registration and reception; 5:30-7 p.m. Monday program)
• Oct. 21: “Social Media, Fake News and the Impact on Public Opinion.” From “post-truth” politics to “alternative facts” associated with the 2016 presidential election, panelists will discuss deliberately published hoaxes and misleading information that spread through social media to increase the reach, as well as strategies that agencies can take to address this problem. (4-6 p.m.)
• Nov. 18: “Fighting the Demons – From Heroin to the Opioid Epidemic.” Panelists will discuss how rampant abuse of painkillers and heroin, especially in Louisville, Lexington and northern Kentucky, have communities across the state and region scrambling for ways to deal with the growing addiction epidemic. (4-6 p.m.)
• Dec. 16: Annual holiday reception featuring live music and refreshments. (4-6 p.m.)

The Yearlings Club Inc. includes members from corporate, government and private organizations and promotes civic responsibility, community service and leadership development.

President Barack Obama joined individuals in recovery, family members, medical professionals, law enforcement officials and other leaders at the National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit in Atlanta, Georgia.  The annual summit is organized by Operation UNITE, which was launched by .  As part of the event, the President announced these additional public and private sector actions to escalate the fight against the prescription opioid abuse and heroin epidemic, which is claiming the lives of tens of thousands of Americans each year.

The President has made clear that addressing this epidemic is a priority for his Administration, and today’s actions represent further steps to expand access to treatment, prevent overdose deaths and increase community prevention strategies.  These actions build on the President’s proposal for $1.1 billion in new funding to help every American with an opioid use disorder who wants treatment get the help they need.

The UofL School of Medicine is one of two medical schools in Kentucky signing on its support of the endeavor. Beginning in fall 2016, these medical schools and colleges will require their students to take some form of prescriber education, in line with the newly released Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain, in order to graduate.

The complete list of schools and colleges and more information is available on the