Giving Compass' Take:

• Joshua Siegel reports that Lehigh County, Pa. has found policy solutions to address the opioid crisis that grips the United States. Other governing bodies can adopt similar policy frameworks to reduce the crushing extent of the crisis. 

• How can philanthropists help to usher in appropriate policy changes? What alterations can be made to the model to increase effectiveness in other locations? 

• Find out how healthcare providers can help stem the growing opioid crisis.

Deaths related to overdoses of both illicit and illegally prescribed opioids increased nearly five-fold in the United States between 1999 and 2016, surpassing 200,000 during that period. This crisis, which has shown little sign of abating, has produced two straight years of life-expectancy decreases in the U.S.

Lehigh County, Pa., has stepped forward with several promising initiatives that could serve as a model for regional responses across the country.

First, the county has joined the hundreds of municipalities, counties and state attorneys general that have gone to court seeking reimbursement from drug manufacturers and distributors for the costs those governments have incurred in dealing with opioid addiction and abuse.

Second, addressing the integrated nature of the epidemic requires law enforcement and medical personnel to work together to address the underlying forces driving substance abuse. Lehigh County recently unveiled a program called Blue Guardian, an innovative rehabilitation model designed to encourage long-term recovery.

In the end, preventive measures, and particularly a focus on steering young people away from drug use, are always going to be the most effective means of reducing long-term costs for society. Communities That Care, based on a national model in use across the country, is a proven program designed to facilitate discussion among community leaders in the political, business and volunteer sectors and create a community action plan.

Read the full article about facing down the opioid crisis by Joshua Siegel at Governing Magazine.