Vermont PBS and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont present The Opiate Crisis: Stories and Solutions on Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m., at the Latchis Theatre, 50 Main St.

The event features screening and panel discussion of “Here Today,” a documentary film by Bess O’Brien exploring heroin and the effects of addiction on families in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. Admission is free; people are asked to reserve a seat at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-opiate-crisis-stories-and-solutions-registration-36556795359?aff=Facebook.

Although focusing on the poorest and most rural part of the state, “Here Today” explores stories of people from diverse economic backgrounds, including an upper-middle class family struggling with their heroin-addicted son and a working-class addict who has been off heroin for five years. “Here Today” illustrates the human struggle of all the people in the film as they valiantly battle their addiction, support their loved ones, and try to move on with their lives.

After the film, journalist, producer and director Fran Stoddard will moderate a panel discussion. Panelists include: Geoff Kane, MD, Chief of Addiction Services at the Brattleboro Retreat; Suzie Walker, executive director of Turning Point of Windham County; Ella Thorne-Thomsen, Vermont Recovery Network Pathway Guide and Turning Point Recovery Coach; and Tom Anderson, Commissioner of Public Safety for Vermont.