By JIM RUTLEDGE D.C. Correspondent BEREA, Ky. — “The opioid epidemic in rural communities is more than a public health issue; this is a matter of rural prosperity,” was how Anne Hazlett, USDA’s assistant secretary for Rural Development, greeted a group of state and local experts last week in another series of grassroots roundtables on opioid misuse. “Opioid misuse is impacting the quality of life and economic well-being in small towns,” she explained, “which is why partnering with rural leaders to address this crisis is critical to the future of rural America.” Hazlett’s discussion in Berea was the third in five monthly roundtables raising awareness and solutions to address opioid misuse that has claimed more than 64,000 lives in drug overdoses over the past 24 months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC reported that 174 people each day died of opioid misuse – more than the number of lives lost in auto wrecks or gun-related homicides. “The opioid epidemic is a pivotal challenge for many rural places,” Hazlett said. “More than a health concern, the opioid crisis is an issue of rural prosperity and will take the commitment, collaboration and creativity of a wide range of partners to address.” She cited a March 2018 study by the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Farmers Union that found 74 percent of farmers have been personally affected by opioid addiction. The study showed, she said, that about three-quarters of farm families have been hit by the crisis – about half of them rural. Kentucky’s USDA director of Rural Development, Hilda Legg, speaking at the roundtable, said the Bluegrass State has been hit harder than most, claiming that 54 of its counties – from 220 counties nationally – have reported record levels of drug abuse cases. The state’s Secretary of Justice and Public Safety John Tilley also told the group he’s reclassified the opioid epidemic, calling the crisis a pandemic. “I believe it is a pandemic,” he said, pointing out that the widespread drug addiction has hit every community across the country. The USDA brought together a panel of speakers here that also included Alex Elswick, a former opioid addict who talked about his addiction that almost claimed his life. He now is co-founder of the treatment center Voices of Hope in Lexington. “Research tells us one of the most effective ways to reduce stigma associated with substance disorders is to do exactly what we’re doing here – to give the person in recovery an opportunity to stand up and recover out loud,” he explained. Elswick is in long-term recovery from addiction to heroin and oxycodone. Other speakers included health care, law enforcement and elected officials. The USDA’S remaining two regional roundtables are scheduled for June 6 in Oklahoma and July 11 in Maine. Other sessions have been held in Utah and Pennsylvania. Key topics include challenges associated with substance use disorder, strategies for prevention, treatment and recovery and how those measures can be replicated to effectively address the epidemic in other rural communities. For more information on opioid misuse in rural America, visit www.usda.gov/topics/opioids |
