Community forums on opioids have begun and will continue into the next couple of months at various locations.
These are under the organization of the Bladen County Opioid Task Force, a cross-section of people representing different professional and service areas. They are from around the county with an interest in thwarting this growing epidemic.
When able, we encourage each of our 30,000-plus citizens to find a meeting that can fit their schedule and attend. The forums are not just for those who know others linked to opioids — it’s for everyone.
The task force wants to know the thoughts of the community. It wants to hear about the experiences, learn more about its concerns, and then take that information and move forward with a strategic action plan against substance abuse.
Their effort is helped by assistance from the Kate B. Reynolds Foundation.
The latest numbers available from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention are through 2017. In 2017, about 68 percent of the more than 70,200 drug overdose deaths involved an opioid; there have been more than 700,000 drug overdose deaths since 1999.
The math within those figures is startling: overdose deaths involving opioids, and that to include prescription and illegals like heroin and illicitly manufactured fentanyl, was six times higher than in 1999.
Six times higher in an 18-year period.
The average number of Americans dying each day from an opioid overdose is 130.
We’re past time to act. The task force’s work in previous years has led to this next step. The forums are a renewed approach, and attempt to get more engagement from the community.
The CDC says, “Collaboration is essential for success in prevention opioid overdose deaths. Medical personnel, emergency departments, first responders, public safety officials, mental health and substance abuse treatment providers, community-based organizations, public health, and members of the community all bring awareness, resources, and expertise to address this complex and fast-moving epidemic. Together, we can better coordinate efforts to prevent opioid overdoses and deaths.”
This epidemic won’t go away on its own. Lawmen are working hard to put criminals involved with opioids out of business; some of their successes in arrests have been included on the pages of this newspaper.
Their work will continue, but it’s only a part of the equation. It’s not up to lawmen and prosecutors to end the epidemic. Education to all age groups is also paramount, from the elderly who may truly need the prescription drugs to the youngsters experimenting at ages that will cause our jaw to drop. Access to assistance for those addicted is vital.
If this were an easy problem to fix, it would have happened long ago. It’s going to require responsibility from all of us.
We know our concern for the county is shared by many. Please, participate in the forums by sharing, listening or getting others involved.
Together, we can save lives.
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