Giving Compass' Take:

• Philanthropy Daily reports on a new interactive map from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that shows which community programs and resources are effective in combating the opioid crisis across America.

• What can we do to support these local groups? And how can we make sure that people who need help are getting compassionate care? It starts by removing the stigma associated with addiction.

• Here's more on how philanthropy can help fight opioid abuse.

“Do you remember that woman Marie who went through our drug recovery program last year?”

Of course I did. She gave a beautiful speech when she graduated about how the program helped her get her life back. Everyone cried.

“Well, I just saw her at the grocery store. She’s back on heroin.”

My heart sank when I heard this from the co-director of the recovery program in our rural, Michigan community. Unfortunately, stories like this are all too common, especially in small towns like mine.

Over 2 million people in the United States are addicted to some kind of opiate. The opioid epidemic, now declared a public health crisis, takes 115 lives every day. Furthermore, a study by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control reveals that in the past couple of decades, cocaine, heroin, and opioid-related mortalities in large metropolitan areas have increased at a rate of only 16%, while the same drug mortalities in rural areas have increased at an astonishing 248%.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched its new “interactive opioid misuse resource map.” Clicking on a state reveals what programs are effective in a given area. These ideas range from Andy’s Angels, a Michigan group that raises money to help families pay for treatment programs, to an encouraging Facebook group for West Virginians called “Testimony of the (Un)broken.” For those who want to tell their own story, there are simple questions on the website: “What’s working in your town? Tell us what actions your rural community is taking in prevention, treatment, and recovery.”

Read the full article about USDA's opioid map by Avery Lacey at Philanthropy Daily.