What’s Being Done about the Opioid Crisis?

Part 01: Understanding the Challenge

This is part one of a two-part series. This section will focus on major drivers of the opioid problem in the US. Part two will look at how to define progress through a roundup of notable investments, programs, partnerships, and emerging innovations from around the country.

Remember the Opioid Crisis? Or perhaps you’ve heard it referred to as the Opioid Epidemic? You know, that scourge of our era that was officially declared a national public health emergency in October of last year?

Here’s a quick refresher from a recent press release:

“Since 1999, the number of opioid-related deaths — from both prescription opioids and illegal drugs including heroin, fentanyl, and carfentanil — has quadrupled. Driven in large part by the opioid epidemic, drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S…