Dr. William Cooke was the only physician in Austin, Indiana, during an HIV epidemic fueled by the opioid crisis. He will share his experiences next month in a free public forum in Greensburg.
GREENSBURG — A rural doctor who served as the lone physician in a small southern Indiana city during two public health crises will share his experiences in an upcoming public health resource fair and book discussion.
Dr. William Cooke from Austin, Indiana, will be the guest of the Greensburg Decatur County Public Library and Decatur County Health Department Partnership. He will discuss his experiences that are outlined in his book “Canary in the Coal Mine” on Thursday, Sept. 12, from 4 to 8 p.m. The event will be at the health department office, 315 S. Ireland St., Greensburg.
According to the library, the event is designed as “a valuable platform for organizations and individuals to share information and resources before and after Dr. Cooke’s presentation.”
Cooke “was the only physician in Austin, Indiana, in 2015 when the rural southern Indiana town became the epicenter of the national opioid crisis and the worst drug-fueled HIV outbreak in U.S. history,” according to a description of the book from his alma mater, Indiana University.
To facilitate the event, the library is encouraging interested people to sign up on the library’s website to receive a free copy of “Canary in the Coal Mine”. A link may be found at greensburglibrary.org/library-services/events/calendar.
Groups and organizations interested in participating in the resource fair should email Lacy Gibson at [email protected].
