Maine Summit on Opioid Crisis Set for Monday
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine is holding a summit on moving forward to address the opioid crisis.
The Monday summit at Augusta Civic Center will bring together health providers and experts, law enforcement officials and families and individuals impacted by the ongoing epidemic of opioid use disorder.
The summit's sessions will range from recovery support strategies to community coalitions.
The summit will also feature a journalist who's written about the opioid crisis, the president of the American Medical Association and former President Obama's national drug control policy director.
Drug overdose deaths in Maine declined from 417 in 2017 to 354 in 2018, with 80 percent linked to opioids.
The state's seen a 41.5 percent drop in opioid prescribing since 2013. Maine has also seen expanded access to naloxone — an antidote to opioid overdoses.