JIM THORPE -- At Lehigh Carbon Community College near Jim Thorpe, you'll find adjunct professor Todd Zimmerman. By day, he's teaching students students about history, but he'll be the first to admit that his students teach him, too.
"They just looked at me like, are you insane? You don't know what's going on in your backyard because I live in a rural area and I don't know," Zimmerman said.
What he didn't know was how many people are addicted to heroin and opiates like Oxycontin.
An episode on "60 Minutes" featuring families that have lost their kids to drug was eye opening.
Zimmerman soon learned from his students that heroin is also a problem in Carbon County.
"They proceeded to tell me where I could purchase it. Nearby an ATM machine at a convenience store. They then started telling me a number of young people that had died of heroin overdoses," Zimmerman said.
"It has affected some of my family members and it's just a horrible thing to witness. I definitely know that Lehighton is not the worst town, but I do know more people than I should know that have done it," student Brooke Scott said.
That's why Zimmerman has started the discussion on heroin and opioid addition.
A meeting with health professionals, county judges, and the Schuylkill County district attorney Wednesday night will be an opportunity for discussion.
Zimmerman's students say heroin is a topic that needs to be talked about.
"I feel like we know it's there, but we don't like to talk about it and we feel that it's something that shouldn't be brought up as much or people think they should turn their head toward. But I feel like we need to talk about it," Naomi Knappenberger said.
Wednesday night's town hall meeting will be at the Tamaqua Area Middle School. It runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
