Governors gathered at the 2016 Winter Meeting to discuss how to address the nation’s opioid crisis, which claims the lives of 78 people each day. At the Health and Human Services Committee session, NGA released a joint statement with the American Medical Association. The statement was a call to action for governors, physicians, state legislatures and the private sector to come together to solve the crisis. Governors also adopted a resolution to develop opioid prescribing guidelines and other tools to stem overprescribing.
The session garnered national attention from media outlets including The New York Times, The Atlantic, Time and PBS NewsHour. Coverage highlights include:
- Governors Unite in the War Against Opioids The New York Times editorial (Feb. 24, 2016)
- How Obama and U.S. Governors Are Taking on the Opioid Epidemic The Atlantic (Feb. 23, 2016)
- U.S. Governors Tackle Heroin Epidemic Time (Feb. 22, 2016)
- Governors Devise Bipartisan Effort to Reduce Opioid Abuse The New York Times (Feb. 21, 2016)
State Governments Strive to Curb Epidemic of Fatal Opioid Abuse, PBS NewsHour (Feb. 23, 2016)
