County Commission | The Magazine July 2019 | Page 9

FROM THE COVER
Refocus: Each County’s Role in
Combatting the Opioid Crisis
HOW SEVERE IS
ALABAMA’S OPIOID
CRISIS?
A
W al s h
Editor’s Note: Earlier this year,
the National Association of
Counties (NACo) and the
Appalachian Regional Commission
published a report, “Opioids
in Appalachia: The Role of
Counties in Reversing a Regional
Epidemic.” Opioids are a hot topic
among Alabama county leaders,
and ACCA is proud to welcome a
NACo expert to the convention’s
Opening General Session. To help
set the stage, County Commission
Magazine interviewed Nastassia
Walsh, associate program
director for justice at NACo.
A
County governments are on
the frontlines of efforts to
reverse the opioid epidemic
— funding justice, health, human
Across the nation, communities
services, economic development
are suffering from rampant
and other critical local services. As
opioid misuse and overdose
rates of opioid overdoses and deaths
rates, and Alabama is no exception.
have increased, significant strain has
Although the overall opioid overdose
been placed on county budgets and
death rate for Alabama has remained services. Among other expenditures,
below that of other counties across
Alabama counties invested more than
the country, the state experienced
$619 million in services for justice
a 1,041% increase in opioid
and public safety, nearly $165 million
deaths from 1999 to 2017. Likely
in health and hospitals, more than
contributing to this increase is the
$24 million in public welfare, and
fact that Alabama counties’ opioid
nearly $12 million in housing and
prescription rates have remained
community development programs in
consistently higher than both
2012. All of these costs have increased
Appalachian and non-Appalachian
as a result of opioid misuse.
counties from 2006 through 2017.
County officials are leaders
Following various national
in the community and are well-
efforts implemented around 2010
positioned to lead the effort against
by the U.S. Drug Enforcement
opioid misuse. They have authority
Administration, American Pain
and legitimacy from holding public
Society and others to reduce opioid
office, and they have empathy
and trust from daily community
prescription rates, these rates
decreased by roughly 30% nationwide involvement. County leaders can also
leverage relationships with businesses,
and 25% in Alabama from 2012
community organizations and other
to 2017. As access to legal forms
governments to expand the network
of the drug became more difficult,
of resources available and help abate
however, the demand for opioids
the opioid epidemic. County leaders
continued to grow and shifted to
are in a key position to pull local
more potent, illegal opioids, such as
stakeholders — such as county
heroin, fentanyl and other synthetic
agencies that help address the opioid
substances.
epidemic (e.g., law enforcement and
social services), community and
WHY IS THIS A
business leaders or nonprofits and
PROBLEM THAT NEEDS faith-based organizations — together
TO BE ADDRESSED AT
to form Opioid Task Forces or other
committees to address this issue.
THE COUNTY LEVEL?
COUNTY COMMISSION | 9