By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune Contributor
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Michael Botticelli, the nation’s drug czar, spoke Thursday of the need for a bipartisan effort in the region’s, and the nation’s, battle with heroin and prescription opiate addiction.
The Government Forum at the Metropolitan Club in Covington, was sponsored by the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.
McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, and Botticelli, the Obama administration’s Director of Drug Control Policy, joined forces to discuss the nationwide impact of addiction.
“Drugs not only hurt the people who abuse them, they rip families apart,” McConnell said.
Botticelli, who has been in recovery from alcohol addiction for more 26 years, also spoke of his own struggles.
“It wasn’t easy to admit that I had a problem even though all of the evidence was staring me in the face,” Botticelli said. “As a result of an automobile crash, I went to court-mandated treatment, and while I can’t say it was easy, or that everything changed overnight, that began my road to recovery.”
The forum wrapped up with a question-and answer session by members of the audience of elected officials, community and business leaders and health care professionals.
Botticelli talked about the need to prevent substance abuse from taking hold by allowing federal resources to be used at the state and local level to provide a community-based response.
He mentioned increasing the number of physicians that can provide life-saving medication, examining Medicaid solutions and ensuring there are services available for addicts and family members seeking help.
He also talked about the need for the increased education of first responders and developing better pain medication management protocols that don’t include the most addictive narcotics.
Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce President Trey Grayson said it is encouraging that Botticelli recognizes the active and proactive role local leaders have taken to address addiction.
“It makes you feel good because a lot of blood, sweat and tears have gone into this effort,” Grayson said. “Washington doesn’t work really well and Frankfort doesn’t always work well. But we saw it in the last legislative session and again today, with an Obama appointee and the leader of the Republicans in Washington coming together to work on a problem.”
Dr. Lynne Saddler, district director of health at the Northern Kentucky Health Department also attended a roundtable discussion featuring the drug czar and the senate majority leader earlier Thursday.
“I think they really heard our perspective on the issues, what we need from the Federal level to help us fight this epidemic,” Saddler said.
Campbell County Judge-executive Steve Pendery said assistance from Washington will provide a big boost to local efforts.
“We may have assumed going in that some of the Federal programs exist, but aren’t easily accessible,” Pendery said. “I think we learned otherwise today and I’m hoping that’s what we find going forward.”
Covington Police Chief Spike Jones was also encouraged by the comprehensive approach at the Federal level to help address the challenges of opioid addiction locally.
“Obviously we have some concerns here in Northern Kentucky and this entire region, but as we heard today, this is a national problem as well,” Jones said. “We fully recognize that the law enforcement community is not the cure for this, but we are a piece of a larger puzzle. If we can get people off the streets and into treatment, that’s really our goal.”