A new joint report from National Association of Counties (NACo) and the National League of Cities (NLC) examines how cities and counties can strengthen collaboration with each other and state, federal, private-sector and non-profit partners to tackle the opioid crisis.
Several of the recommendations are accompanied by existing local practices from cities and counties. The report also includes recommendations for state and federal officials, who are pivotal partners in local efforts to combat opioid misuse, diversion, overdose and death.
In countless communities across the nation, abuse of prescription drugs and heroin has reached epidemic levels, leading to unprecedented rates of drug overdoses and related fatalities. As this public health crisis has unfolded, local leaders are formulating effective responses. Much progress has been made on this front, but much work remains to be done. During this audience-focused town hall, NACo members will discuss local stories, successes and challenges with an expert panel that includes several members of the National City-County Task Force on the Opioid Epidemic.
The following panel was held on March 6 in Washington, D.C. as part of NACo’s 2018 Legislative Conference: Local governments are on the front lines of the opioid crisis. In 2017, several states and over 100 local jurisdictions filed lawsuits against manufacturers and distributors of opioids to recover the costs of prevention efforts, treatment and…
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“With the federal government announcing its intent to file a lawsuit against the producers and sellers of opioid-based painkillers, county officials may wonder why their hundreds of peers are filing their own suits, either in state or federal court. “Because we help the most. We provide the most services to those in need and the…
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The National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education, and Families and Center for City Solutions invite cities to apply to be a part of our upcoming Mayors’ Institute on Opioids: Aligning City, County and State Resources to Address the Epidemic on May 9-10, 2018 (location to be announced). The goal of this convening is…
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National League of Cities’ First Vice President Mark Stodola, writing in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, discusses the human costs of the opioid epidemic and the need for a path forward.
National League of Cities member Mayor Steve Williams of Huntington, West Virginia, writing in Mic, explains how the opioid epidemic must be viewed as a public health crisis and why we cannot arrest our way out of it.