After serving more than 20 years on the Arkansas Alcohol and Drug Abuse Coordinating Council, Chief Ron Burks officially retired this week. Attending his last council meeting, this time as a private citizen, Burks was honored with a plaque of recognition for his dedicated service to improving the quality of life for all Arkansans. 

“I’m very humbled by this. Twenty years flew by and I enjoyed every minute I served on the council,” Burks said.

Arkansas Drug Director Kirk Lane presented the plaque to Burks, alongside special guest – former Arkansas Drug Director Fran Flener.

“Chief Burks leaves a legacy of outstanding contributions given to this council, which has directly impacted Arkansans in a positive manner,” Lane said. “The wisdom he shared for more than 2 decades is immeasurable, and so is the amount of people he mentored in both his role on the council and through his law enforcement career.”

Burks recently retired as chief of the Arkansas Highway Police, where he served for more than 20 years. He previously served more than 23 years at the North Little Rock Police Department where he earned the rank of Captain of the Investigations Division. Burks said serving on the Arkansas Alcohol and Drug Abuse Coordinating Council was “fantastic” even through times of funding concerns.

“I think more so now, with the opioid crisis at the national level, I think that has not only grabbed the attention of the politicians in Washington DC, but also our state and local politicians,” he said. “I think they see the need to have appropriate funding to address this problem. I just wish there was more funding out there, because they work they do is very important, especially now with the opioid epidemic.”

Burks said the council has three sections of support toward improving the state: treatment, prevention and law enforcement.

“Their main importance is to ensure funding is directed to the areas that need to be addressed,” he said. “Not all the money goes to law enforcement. Not all the money goes to treatment. Not all the money goes to prevention. It needs to be a collaborative effort of all and I think the council is crucial in ensuring that the funding is spread out evenly, and we address the problem as a whole.”

Burks said he feels confident that the council will continue to improve and progress. He said he’ll miss serving with other board members, but he’s ready to enjoy retirement.

“I’m going to miss being on the council,” he said. “I felt like we did a lot of good work and I’ll miss the people, but just like anything else, there will be others to step in and continue the work of the council.”

Arkansas Drug Director Kirk Lane spoke to a large crowd from the steps of the Arkansas State Capitol today about how the Opioid Epidemic is affecting thousands of Arkansans everyday. Beyond the facts and statistics, including how the state is #2 in the nation for over-prescribing opioids (114.6 opioid prescriptions per 100 people; the national average is

66.5 prescriptions per 100 people), Lane spoke to the heart of his passion – saving lives. He said one way to battle the epidemic is by providing first responders across the state with life-saving naloxone kits (which contain medicine to temporarily reverse an overdose due to an opioid), and with partners in the state, they are distributing hundreds of kits with the goal to reach every first responder.

Lane also said educating everyone on the dangers/risks of opioids and how to properly dispose of them, is also key to reversing the epidemic. Here is a brief video of his message:

In response to Lane’s message, several other state and city leaders spoke about a lawsuit that was recently filed. From the Arkansas Association of Counties:

In a unified and unprecedented approach against the opioid drug industry, the state of Arkansas, Arkansas counties and Arkansas cities announced that together they have filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Crittenden County.

This unique litigation approach is unlike any others in the country and will represent 90 percent of Arkansas’s population, with 72 counties and 210 cities participating. It is believed that it will cost billions to stop the Arkansas opioid epidemic and that this money should come from the companies that caused the problem instead of taxpayers.

“Though other lawsuits have been filed in federal courts across the country, Arkansas is the only state that has united in this fashion,” said Chris Villines, executive director of the Association of Arkansas Counties. “Instead of fighting and competing with each other on critically needed settlement dollars for our cities and counties, all of the cities and counties are working together to do what’s best for Arkansas.”

The epidemic is real and has ravaged Arkansas families for years. While the U.S. experiences more than 42,000 fatal overdoses a year, Arkansas experiences over 400, a number that has increased nearly 300 percent since 2000 and coincides with opioid sales quadrupling. Additionally, Arkansas ranks second in the nation for ages 12-17 in misuse of opioids (4.67%) behind Alabama, which is also the only other state with a higher opioid prescribing rate than Arkansas, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It is hard to find anyone who hasn’t felt the effects of an opioid addiction from family, friends or even in themselves,” said Kirk Lane, Arkansas State Drug Director. “Though great strides have been made recently to curb the epidemic – especially helping cities fund necessary resources like the opiate antagonist Naloxone (Narcan) – much more could be done to fund ongoing programs for education and prevention.”

In 2017, there were more opioid prescriptions than people – enough for every man, woman and child to have 80 pills per year. Hospitals and rehabilitation systems cannot keep pace with the influx of victims. The resources of public safety officials are constantly strained to meet the overwhelming needs of opioid-related emergencies. As a result, the state of Arkansas, its counties, cities and taxpayers have funded the enormous societal costs of the opioid epidemic, but have had insufficient revenue to turn the tide of the epidemic.

“Arkansas’s one-voice approach to this lawsuit is one that gives us a seat at the table,” said Don Zimmerman, executive director of the Arkansas Municipal League. “Neither the state or any county or city is big enough alone; this litigation approach ensures that recovered damages remain in Arkansas.”

For more information about the lawsuit, or to find additional resources on the opioid epidemic in Arkansas, please visit ARCounties.org, ARML.org or APERMA.com.

APPENDICES

1. List of Arkansas counties participating
2. List of Arkansas municipalities participating
3. List of named defendants

“We will work to strengthen vulnerable families and communities, and we will help to build and grow a stronger, healthier, and drug-free society.” – President Donald J. Trump

ADDRESSING THE DRIVING FORCES OF THE OPIOID CRISIS: President Donald J. Trump’s Initiative to Stop Opioids Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and Demand will confront the driving forces behind the opioid crisis.

 President Trump’s Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse will address factors fueling the opioid crisis, including over-prescription, illicit drug supplies, and insufficient access to evidence-based treatment, primary prevention, and recovery support services.

 The President’s Opioid Initiative will:

o Reduce drug demand through education, awareness, and preventing over-prescription.

o Cut off the flow of illicit drugs across our borders and within communities.

o Save lives now by expanding opportunities for proven treatments for opioid and other drug addictions.

REDUCE DEMAND AND OVER-PRESCRIPTION: President Trump’s Opioid Initiative will educate Americans about the dangers of opioid and other drug use and seek to curb over-prescription.

 Launch a nationwide evidence-based campaign to raise public awareness about the dangers of prescription and illicit opioid use, as well as other drug use.

 Support research and development efforts for innovative technologies and additional therapies designed to prevent addiction and decrease the use of opioids in pain management.

o This will include supporting research and development for a vaccine to prevent opioid addiction and non-addictive pain management options.

 Reduce the over-prescription of opioids which has the potential to lead Americans down a path to addiction or facilitate diversion to illicit use.

 Implement a Safer Prescribing Plan to achieve the following objectives:

o Cut nationwide opioid prescription fills by one-third within three years.

o Ensure that 75 percent of opioid prescriptions reimbursed by Federal healthcare programs are issued using best practices within three years, and 95 percent within five years.

o The President also calls on Congress to pass legislation that reduces the threshold amount of drugs needed to invoke mandatory minimum sentences for drug traffickers who knowingly distribute certain illicit opioids that are lethal in trace amounts.

HELP THOSE STRUGGLING WITH ADDICTION: President Trump’s Opioid Initiative will help those struggling with addiction through evidence-based treatment and recovery support services:

 Work to ensure first responders are supplied with naloxone, a lifesaving medication used to reverse overdoses.

 Leverage Federal funding opportunities to State and local jurisdictions to incentivize and improve nationwide overdose tracking systems that will help resources to be rapidly deployed to hard-hit areas.

 Expand access to evidence-based addiction treatment in every State, particularly Medication-Assisted Treatment for opioid addiction.

 Seek legislative changes to the law prohibiting Medicaid from reimbursing residential treatment at certain facilities with more than 16 beds.

o In the meantime, continue approving State Medicaid demonstration projects that waive these barriers to inpatient treatment.

 Provide on-demand, evidence-based addiction treatment to service members, veterans and their families eligible for healthcare through the Departments of Defense or Veterans Affairs.

 Leverage opportunities in the criminal justice system to identify and treat offenders struggling with addiction.

o Screen every Federal inmate for opioid addiction at intake.

o For those who screen positive and are approved for placement in residential reentry centers, facilitate naltrexone treatment and access to treatment prior to and while at residential reentry centers and facilitate connection to community treatment services as needed.

o Scale up support for State, Tribal, and local drug courts in order to provide offenders struggling with addiction access to evidence-based treatment as an alternative to or in conjunction with incarceration, or as a condition of supervised release.

o Ensure that at least half of all Federally-employed healthcare providers adopt best practices for opioid prescribing within two years, with all of them doing so within five years.

o Leverage Federal funding opportunities related to opioids to ensure that States transition to a nationally interoperable Prescription Drug Monitoring Program network.

CUT OFF THE SUPPLY OF ILLICIT DRUGS: President Trump’s Opioid Initiative will crack down on international and domestic illicit drug supply chains devastating American communities:

 Keep dangerous drugs out of the United States.

o Secure land borders, ports of entry, and water ways against illegal smuggling.

o Require advance electronic data for 90 percent of all international mail shipments (with goods) and consignment shipments within three years, in order for the Department of Homeland Security to flag high-risk shipments.

o Identify and inspect high-risk shipments leveraging advanced screening technologies and by using drug-detecting canines.

o Test and identify suspicious substances in high-risk international packages to quickly detect and remove known and emerging illicit drugs before they can cause harm.

o Engage with China and expand cooperation with Mexico to reduce supplies of heroin, other illicit opioids, and precursor chemicals.

 Advance the Department of Justice (DOJ) Prescription Interdiction and Litigation (PIL) Task Force to fight the prescription opioid crisis. The PIL Task Force will:

o Expand the DOJ Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit’s efforts to prosecute corrupt or criminally negligent doctors, pharmacies, and distributors.

o Aggressively deploy appropriate criminal and civil actions to hold opioid manufacturers accountable for any unlawful practices.

 Shut down illicit opioid sales conducted online and seize any related assets.

o Scale up internet enforcement efforts under DOJ’s new Joint Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) team.

 Strengthen criminal penalties for dealing and trafficking in fentanyl and other opioids:

o DOJ will seek the death penalty against drug traffickers, where appropriate under current law.

The “Blue & You” event at Criminal Justice Institutetoday (March 8, 2018) will save numerous lives throughout Arkansas! Here is how:

* 1,300 Narcan kits — Each kit consists of 2 Narcan (naloxone) sprays, gloves, CPR mask, etc.

* 26 law enforcement agencies – split the 1,300 Narcan kits. Each officer, after completion of the training program, took boxes of Narcan kits to deliver to their respective agencies.

* Unknown number – The officers who received training today also left with materials to assist them in training officers at their respective agencies.

* 63 – That is the number of lives saved throughout the 75 counties of Arkansas by use of a
Narcan/Naloxone kit.

* $125,000 – The amount the Criminal Justice Institute received from the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas to purchase additional Narcan/Naloxone kits to distribute to additional law enforcement agencies in Arkansas.

*Unknown – The number of lives that will be saved in the near future! The more training and Narcan kits that officers, as well as other first responder agencies, receive, the more people they can reach to reverse an opioid overdose!

Through a grant provided by the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas, efforts are underway at the Criminal Justice Institute (CJI) to expand the availability and usage of naloxone by providing kits containing this lifesaving drug to 1,300 Arkansas officers and deputies across the State.

A ceremonial check presentation and an initial “train-the trainer” program will be held on Thursday, March 8, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Criminal Justice Institute, located at 26 Corporate Hill Drive in Little Rock.

At 10:00 a.m., Curtis Barnett, President and CEO of Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and Patrick O’Sullivan, Executive Director of the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas, will be on hand to present a ceremonial check to the Criminal Justice Institute. Representatives from the University of Arkansas System and the Office of the State Drug Director will also be in attendance.

Immediately following the check presentation, CJI is providing a naloxone administration “train-the-trainer” program to law enforcement officers and deputies representing 16 agencies across the State. These law enforcement instructors will then return to their agencies and train their officers and deputies to carry and administer naloxone.

On average, 115 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose.¹ Deaths from opioid overdose—drugs like oxycodone, hydrocodone, heroin, and fentanyl—have more than quadrupled since 1999.² All but nine of 75 counties in Arkansas have overall opioid prescribing rates higher than the national average of 66.5 prescriptions per 100 people in 2016. With its annual state opioid prescription rate of 114.6 per 100 people,³ Arkansas was second only to Alabama. Naloxone (Narcan) is a medication that can be used to block the effects of opioids, especially in overdose, and has been effectively used to prevent deaths due to overdose. Currently, 60 lives have been saved in Arkansas with the administration of naloxone.

Agencies included in this grant are: Conway Police Department, Fayetteville Police Department, Jonesboro Police Department, North Little Rock Police Department, Springdale Police Department, Texarkana Police Department, Bella Vista Police Department, Hope Police Department, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office, Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office, Paragould Police Department, Pope County Sheriff’s Office, Trumann Police Department, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The current funding will expand the number of officers and deputies capable of saving a life with Naloxone.

Upon completion of the training, officers will receive naloxone kits for their agencies. Each kit consists of two doses of Naloxone, nitrile gloves, a CPR face shield, hand sanitizer and a carrier.

^1. Rudd RA, Seth P, David F, Scholl L. Increases in Drug and Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths — United States, 2010–2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 16 December 2016. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm655051e1

^2. Wide-ranging online data for epidemiologic research (WONDER). Atlanta, GA: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics; 2016. Available at http://wonder.cdc.gov

^3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: U.S. State Prescribing Rates, 2016. Available at

https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/maps/rxstate2016.html

Governor Asa Hutchinson today released $600,000 in Rainy Day funding for the state’s drug task forces, with approval of the Joint Budget Committee of the Arkansas General Assembly, providing additional resources to key law-enforcement agencies while federal funds are delayed.

Funding for the task forces is provided through the federal Department of Justice’s Edward R. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program. However, funding for JAG grants has been held up in litigation over the enforcement of federal immigration policies, and funding for state’s law enforcement programs has been blocked.

“Our drug task forces are on the front lines of our fight against drugs in Arkansas,” Governor Hutchinson said. “As a former federal prosecutor, I saw firsthand the impact of the task forces on improved law-enforcement coordination and in reducing illegal drugs on our streets. This funding will provide a needed lifeline to law enforcement until federal funding issues can be fixed.”

Funding for the task forces was provided through the Governor’s Rainy Day Fund. These funds were released at the order of the Governor and with approval of the legislature. Governor Hutchinson said Wednesday that he will continue to work with legislative leaders and Arkansas’ congressional delegation to find a long-term solution to supporting the state’s drug task forces.

Arkansas Drug Task Forces allow local police, sheriffs and prosecutors to cooperate and coordinate in combating the sale of illegal drugs. Funding provided through JAG grants pays for equipment, salaries and operational expenses for 20 different task forces across Arkansas.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Feb. 27, 2018) – There’s a new face to drug addiction. In many cases, people around us are suffering without others even realizing.

The THV11 team has announced the airing of “Saving A Generation: The New Face of Drug Addiction,” set for this Friday, March 2nd; it’s a THV11 Special Presentation.

After months of production, the project led by anchor Laura Monteverdi looks at the drug addiction crisis in Arkansas. She has a personal connection to the epidemic, which she shares in the documentary-esque program.

Monteverdi said, “These are stories I wish I didn’t have to share, but I know I need to and I have the platform to do it. I pray it changes lives.”

In 2016, Centers for Disease Control reported that 64,000 people died of drug overdose in the United States. More than 400 were right here in Arkansas.

While the statistics can be staggering, there is hope. From Nashville, Tennessee to Lubbock, Texas, to areas all around the state, Monteverdi, photojournalist Bre Conyers, and the THV11 team look at the problem and what’s being done in the fight for a solution in the emotional, hard-hitting 30-minute program.

The THV11 Special Presentation, “Saving a Generation: The New Face of Drug Addiction,” will be available on-air and on THV11’s digital and connected TV platforms this Friday at 6:30 p.m. Additionally, a special long-form edition of the project will be available at thv11.com.

For more videos, click here.

Before Wednesday (1/30/2018) there was only one location in Miller County to dispose of unused and expired medications – the Miller County Sheriff’s Office. Now, thanks to the teamwork of the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department (TAPD) and the Texarkana Emergency Center, there are two NEW locations to safely drop off medications in the city! The medications dropped off are regularly collected by law enforcement officials, and are later taken to a facility to be destroyed in an environmentally safe manner.

TAPD spokesperson Cpl. Kristi Bennett said in 2017, residents of Miller County dropped-off more than 230 pounds of unused and out of date prescriptions or over the counter drugs for destruction. She said due to that success,Dr. Matt Young of the Texarkana Emergency Center, invested in two additional drug take back boxes for Texarkana. One box is located behind the Bi State Justice Center (100 N. State Line Ave., Texarkana, AR.) and the other box – or the third medication drop-box in the area – is located outside the Texarkana Emergency Center (4646 Cowhorn Creek Rd., Texarkana, TX).

“It is important to know that law enforcement is only interested in the removal of unused and/or outdated medications and over the counter drugs from the homes of our citizens,” Cpl. Bennett said. “It matters not whose name is on the prescription, by whom it was prescribed, where it was prescribed, or where you reside. We stress that it makes no difference if you live in Texas or Arkansas. We take back all medications, no questions asked.”

However, the law enforcement officers request that people do not deposit any needles or “sharps” without a cap. Cpl. Bennett said people can also hand deliver their medications to officers at the next Arkansas Drug Take Back event, which is set for April 28, at the Miller County Sheriff’s Office on East Street in Texarkana.

“Why should you participate in this proactive effort to remove unused prescription medications from your home?” Bennett asked. “42 percent. That is the percent of teenagers who have abused or misused a prescription drug obtained them from their parent’s medicine cabinet. And 64 percent of teenagers (age 12-

17) who have abused prescription pain relievers said they got them from friends or relatives. About two-thirds of all prescription drugs (which also include stimulants such as Adderall and depressants like Ativan) illegally obtained are taken from people’s homes and not pharmacies or off the street.”

She added, “Another reason to participate is because leftover medicine is toxic waste. It poses a danger to people, pets, and the environment if it’s not disposed of properly. If flushed or thrown away it can get into the waterways, affecting our drinking water. Just as we don’t put used motor oil or leftover paint thinner in the trash, we should not put toxic leftover medicines in the garbage. Unwanted medicines should be disposed of properly like other household hazardous waste.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control Arkansas is number 2 in the nation in the amount of prescription distribution, at 114.6 painkiller prescriptions per 100 people. The national average is 66.5 painkiller prescriptions per 100 people.

“Arkansas was number 8 in the U.S. in 2015 for the prescribing rate and we increased to number 2 in 2016,”Arkansas Drug Director Kirk Lane said. “That occurred because other states did more to take on the opioid problem. We [Arkansas] have not done enough.”

Drug overdose deaths are the leading cause of unintentional injury deaths in the U.S., exceeding vehicle fatalities by 50 percent. More than 143 people in America die each day due to a drug overdose. In Arkansas, 1,067 people have died from a drug overdose in a 3-year span (319 in 2013, 356 in 2014, and 392 in 2015). Arkansas is also in the top 20 percent of states that prescribe the most painkillers per capita.

Cpl. Bennett said that with citizens assistance “We are going to change these statistics!”

Counties and cities across Arkansas are poised to hold accountable the nation’s leading pharmaceutical companies over their misleading and deceptive marketing of prescription opioid painkillers.

In a unique and strategic move, the Association of Arkansas Counties (AAC), Arkansas Municipal League (AML), and Arkansas Public Entities Risk Management Association (APERMA) have retained the same outside law firms to pursue litigation against the drug companies on behalf of the local govern­ments of Arkansas.

To date, 69 of the state’s 75 counties have signed on to the litigation. Cities and towns are strongly rep­resented in the litigation, as well.

“AML membership comprising more than 80 percent of the population living in Arkansas’ cities and towns have signed contracts and joined the Arkansas opioid litigation,” said AML Executive Director Don Zimmerman.

Cumulatively, the AAC, AML, and APERMA represent virtually every city and county in the state of Arkansas. This unique legal collaboration brings together county judges, mayors, sheriffs, police chiefs, fire chiefs, first responders, and coroners — officials best positioned to lead the charge against opioids. As a unified force in this litigation, local government in Arkansas will have the ability to end this high-priced epidemic and to heal our communities from the ravages of opioid abuse.

The AML, AAC, and APERMA were encouraged last week when Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced her intention to launch an investigation into the opioid crisis. Throughout her time in office, Rutledge has been a leader in response to the opioid epidemic. She introduced a first-in-the-nation educational tool — Prescription for Life — that is free to high schools across Arkansas. Addi­tionally, the Attorney General sponsors statewide drug take-back initiatives and the annual Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Summit. The summit provides free training and educational opportunities for law enforcement officers, medical professionals, pharmacists, and educators on prescription drug abuse prevention and treatment.

Given the Attorney General’s vast knowledge and expertise on the matter, the state’s investigation adds strength to the opioid litigation that is unprecedented. We laud Attorney General Rutledge and her of­fice for taking a stand for Arkansas.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and Arkansas Drug Director Kirk Lane also have shown great lead­ership in response to the opioid epidemic. Governor Hutchinson and Director Lane have supported

legislation allowing pharmacists to dispense naloxone — an antidote for opioid overdose — without a prescription. They also helped establish a statewide protocol for tracking the prescribing and dispens­ing of opioids, allowing law enforcement to watch for trends and anticipate problems, and they have worked to establish more drug courts, among other initiatives, to combat the opioid epidemic.

“Our hope is to work cooperatively with all governmental entities in Arkansas that have been affected by the opioid epidemic, including the state,” said AAC Executive Director Chris Villines.

Unity among Arkansas counties and cities has created a force to be reckoned with that can put an end to this epidemic.

“Through cohesion and cooperative efforts, we hope for a united Arkansas approach to this litigation that would force drug companies and the courts to take Arkansas seriously — cities, counties, and the state,” Villines said.

The 2018 kickoff of the Opioid Prevention Education Summit was held on the campus of Arkansas State University at Mountain Home today (1/23/2018) in an effort to increase awareness of the opioid epidemic in Arkansas, as well as to enhance coalitions and develop an advisory council in local communities.

“We want to encourage community members to step forward to assist in addressing the risk factors associated with opioids by serving on local advisory councils,” said Michelle Young-Hobbs of Division of Aging Adult and Behavioral Health Services.

She said that Local Advisory Councils will:

●Have input on media distribution in their area;

●Assist in distribution of health literacy;

●Promote awareness of the dangers of opioids in the community;

●Select a representative to serve on the statewide advisory council, which will give input of policy and best practice recommendations;

●Meet on a monthly basis to provide feedback, plan activities, and share accomplishments.

“We want to hear from you on the best way to communicate with your residents,” said Dr. Cheryl May, Director of Criminal Justice Institute (CJI). “What media strategy works best in your community? We want people in communities throughout Arkansas to learn more about the opioid epidemic. Collectively we can make a big dent in this crisis, and we look forward to partnering with you.”

“As of today, 53 lives have been saved since 2016 by first responder agencies in Arkansas, who have found a way to begin their own Naloxone programs,” Lane said. “Our goal is to get Narcan kits into every first responders hands throughout the state.”

May said additionally there’s a goal to provide family members of someone in a recovery program with Narcan kits and training.

“We believe the more people we can get Narcan to, the more lives we can save,” she said.

The Narcan program is substantially funded by two grants: (1) Prescription Drug Overdose (PDO) Death Prevention grant, awarded in September 2016 and the (2) State Targeted Response (STR) to Opioid grant, awarded May 2017. The two grants fund the Narcan and Local Advisory Councils in Crawford and Franklin counties (combined), Sharp County, Sebastian and Scott counties (combined), Marion and Baxter counties (combined), and Garland County.

Young-Hobbs said the future goal is to not only extend the grant funding, but to also fund the programs statewide. She said a short term goal is to set up a training program for physicians concerning the opioid epidemic on the ArTakeBack.org website, as well as new social media sites.

According to the Centers for Disease Control Arkansas is number 2 in the nation in the amount of prescription distribution, at 114.6 painkiller prescriptions per 100 people. The national average is 66.5 painkiller prescriptions per 100 people.

“Arkansas was number 8 in the U.S. in 2015 for the prescribing rate and we increased to number 2 in 2016,” Lane said. “That occurred because other states did more to take on the opioid problem. We [Arkansas] have not done enough.”

Lane and May said the impact Local Advisory Councils can make when partnering with their programs, can significantly reduce the negative impact of the opioid epidemic in the state, including a reduction of overdose deaths.

Collectively we can succeed in reducing opioid deaths.