WATCH LIVE: President Trump declares the opioid crisis a public health emergency. Watch on Facebook Live. 

BATON ROUGE- Today Gov. John Bel Edwards will attend a listening session at the White House. He will be accompanied by Dr. Rebekah Gee, who is the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health.

The listening session will be in an effort to address the nation's opioid crisis.

Edwards, along with five other senators, will be joined by three Attorneys General and eight state public health directors.

Edwards will also meet with the Acting Drug Czar Richard Baum to discuss drug addiction trends in Louisiana, information about Edward's priorities related to drug use and opportunities to collaborate with the White House in the future.

"The opioid epidemic is sweeping the country, and opioid-related deaths in Louisiana are on the rise," Edwards said. "We're doing our part in Louisiana, and I appreciate President Trump highlighting this important issue. Dr. Gee and I a looking forward to discussing Louisiana's efforts to combat this crisis and learn best practices from other states."