Dr. John Fothergill: The opioid epidemic is a bipartisan issue

By Dr. John Fothergill

A White House Conference, "Best Practice in Combating the Opioid Epidemic," was held in late September in Washington, D.C. The conference, attended by 130 people from throughout the United States, included behavioral health and medical providers, law enforcement, state and county government representatives and clergy. President Donald Trump has made this a high priority of his administration and meets with high-level staff both individually and as a group on a weekly basis. The federal government realizes the opioid epidemic is a national problem that must be solved on the local level. This conference was intended to educate the attendees as to the programs and grants available to fight the battle against the opioid epidemic.