The White House has announced a follow-up three-pronged strategy
to combat the opioid epidemic call the “Initiative to Stop Opioid
Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and Demand.” The three prongs of the
strategy are to reduce demand and over-prescription, cut off the
supply of illicit drugs, and to help those struggling with
addiction. The National Association of Counties (NACo) provided a
deeper look at the proposal and how it closely aligns with
recommendations published in a NACo and National League of Cities
joint task force report, A Prescription for Action: Local
Leadership in Ending the Opioid Crisis.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently
convened the first in a series of monthly local roundtables in
Pennsylvania to promote awareness and better understanding of the
support needed in rural communities to address the opioid crisis.
According to
NACo, the remaining local roundtables are scheduled for Utah
in April, Kentucky in May, Oklahoma in June, and Maine in July.
