June 13, 2018
While Congress considers dozens of bills to bring much-needed resources to our nation’s opioid crisis, it is our communities, each unique and distinct, that form the core of the solution.
By working with community-based, nonprofit health plans that are on the frontlines, I have seen how their deeply rooted partnerships with community leaders — including clergy, law enforcement, schools and employers — helped them understand the magnitude of the opioid problem and compelled them to act long before the crisis hit the national consciousness.
The experience of local, nonprofit health plans is particularly useful to understand as Congress crafts policy and directs federal funds, because these plans have long been investing in opioid addiction prevention and treatment programs.
