Northern Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

The Northern Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy opened July 1, 2015 as a collaboration between the Boone, Campbell and Kenton County Fiscal Courts and in partnership with the R. C. Durr Foundation. The Office was created to conduct research on best evidence-based practices, conduct community outreach and education, coordinate local, state and regional efforts and to provide analysis and recommendations to the Counties as to policy formation, initiatives and the distribution of the Counties’ funds to support various prevention, treatment and education strategies in response to the opioid epidemic. In less than a year, the Office has become the primary coordinating agency between local government and the various non-profit organizations, healthcare providers, education institutions and other government agencies with respect to the opiod problem, particularly heroin, which has crippled the Greater Cincinnati region. The Northern Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy has created a strategic plan that has resulted in the formation of a regional help-line, comprehensive education/prevention campaign and movement toward a syringe access program, in addition to numerous initiatives that continue to be developed. This collaboration illustrates the power of regionalism and the importance of strong leadership at the county level.