Giving Compass' Take:

• Roger Krone reports that although we have not seen much progress, the private sector has the opportunity to address the opioid epidemic using resources that the public sector cannot necessarily provide. 

• How can we motivate more of the private sector to allocate time, funds, and attention to this problem? 

• Learn about what the affordable care act is doing to fight the opioid crisis. 

The conversation around solving America’s opioid problem is centered on public policy, but the private sector holds considerable levers of power.

Unfortunately, we have not yet seen significant mobilization in the private sector. As we know, there’s a lot of work to do. The scale and urgency of the opioid epidemic are alarming. Many experts believe it is the worst drug crisis in U.S. history. Drug overdose claimed at least 64,000 lives last year, making it the leading cause of unintentional death in our country.

Improving these numbers will require our nation’s business leaders to respond. First, through awareness. Awareness and prevention are deeply intertwined, and open dialog is required to make progress.

Unlike federal and state government, private businesses can mobilize resources quickly. We can initiate response efforts through volunteerism, and divert charitable dollars at our discretion, often with no structured granting process.

Finally, we can harness American brain power, entrepreneurship, and innovation from the private sector to present new ideas and invent solutions.

Read the full article about the private sector battling the opioid crisis by Roger Krone at TriplePundit.