Governor Ivey’s Council to Combat Alabama’s Opioid Crisis Holds First Meeting
Many public health, law enforcement and government officials have come together under Governor Ivey’s order to combat the opioid crisis in Alabama head on.
Gov. Kay Ivey’s council to study opioid addiction is a modified order of former Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley. Attorney General Steve Marshall, serves as one of the council’s 3 co-chairs, he says “what we’ve been able to do is build upon the work of another group, they never had any final recommendations that were voted upon we never saw any legislation come from that”.
Lynn Beshear, recently appointed commissioner of the Alabama Department of Mental Health, is also helping take the lead. “A problem this complex does not have a single answer to it, the answers are about as complex as the issue, but we have great people on this task force here on this council, I’m very happy that governor Ivey decided to reconfigure it” says Beshear
In Alabama, more than 5 million prescriptions for pain pills were written in 2015. putting patients at a higher risk for addiction and overdose. Council members will collectively recommend strategies to reduce the number of deaths and other effects caused by opioid misuse statewide.
