PUBLIC HEALTH
COMING TOGETHER FOR HOPE, HEALING
AND RECOVERY - Louisville’s Plan to
Address Substance Use and Misuse
Sarah Moyer, MD, MPH
T
he current opioid epidemic has
been called the worst drug crisis
in American history. In 2016, an
average of 115 people died each
day in the United States from a
drug overdose. In Louisville, drug overdose
deaths have increased each year since 2011,
and the age-adjusted overdose death rate in
2016 was more than double what it was in 2011. And while the use of
drugs garners significant media attention and community concern,
tobacco and alcohol use remain far more pervasive throughout
Louisville and affect many more people. tors, and evaluating the effectiveness of those interventions. Many
stakeholders working together across many sectors can improve
the health of our community.
While the challenges of substance use disorder may seem daunt-
ing, they can be met and overcome with a public health approach. It
is an approach that has worked for other issues, including childhood
infectious diseases, lead poisoning, and motor vehicle accidents,
leading to a significant increase in life expectancy in the United
States over the past 120 years. From their insights, expertise and recommendations comes
this comprehensive report and two-year action plan. This plan is
designed to better coordinate ongoing efforts, add new efforts to
fill in the gaps, and engage new partners and resources to tackle
the issue of substance use disorder. The report makes 10 specific
evidence-based recommendations to be implemented over the next
two years. It proposes new initiatives and advocates for expanding
and strengthening programs already in place that are proving to
A public health approach involves studying root causes, iden-
tifying risk factors, designing interventions to address these fac-
10
LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
Coming Together for Hope, Healing and Recovery is Louisville’s
two-year action plan to accelerate the city’s fight against substance
use disorder. Work on the plan began in July 2017 when the De-
partment of Public Health and Wellness convened a wide-ranging
group that included people in recovery, leaders of nonprofits, law
enforcement, health care institutions, social work experts, school
officials, concerned parents and scholars. Over the following months,
work groups studied the problem and examined initiatives already
in place in Louisville and in other cities.