Opioid Crisis: Examining National, State, and Local Responses and Impact

The U.S. Surgeon General has said that better partnerships lead to better national health. As a result, a number of agencies, organizations, and companies are re-examining how they approach combatting the opioid crisis in their local communities. Collaborative approaches that both stress the importance of prevention and engage all aspects of a community to address addiction as a disease instead of a moral failing are beginning to become more prevalent. This panel will discuss the opioid epidemic as a national public health emergency, while also highlighting how local-level collaborative action – with New Jersey as a case study– is the key to helping our communities emerge from this crisis.