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White House increasing opioid misuse resources

The White House is releasing new tools for rural leaders to better understand and prevent drug addiction. 

White House Senior Advisor for Rural Affairs Anne Hazlett this morning spoke with members of the Michigan Agri-Business Association on how major rural employers can address drug misuse.

“So they can have a sense of numbers about what might be happening in their community with respect to drugs, what they can do about it and then what some of the funding sources are so they can pay for it.”

A recent report by the CDC found opioid deaths in rural communities are greater than in urban areas.

Hazlett tells Brownfield access to treatment and a lack of resources to help sustain recovery tend to be barriers for people in rural areas overcoming drug abuse.

“Oftentimes somebody feels overwhelmed, they don’t know where to start, so being able to learn from a community that’s already been at this for a while can be really helpful.”

The White House will be releasing a new rural community action guide later this month which builds off work at USDA to better equip rural areas impacted by the opioid crisis.