The Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission is holding a townhall this evening in Lexington. The group has been to eastern Kentucky to hear directly from residents how the opioid epidemic has impacted them.
Bryan Hubbard is the chair and executive director of the commission. He said it is important to come to wealthier areas because the opioid problem is everywhere.
“In so far as there is stigma around the issue of opioid use disorder, which centers the problem in communities that are not as advantaged as Lexington, this provides up an opportunity to demystify some of that stigma.”
Hubbard said people might be surprised by the death rate of those in Fayette County and the surrounding area.
“If that region was its own state, it would rank third in the United States in terms of the overall death rate of drugs generally and opioids specifically. Kentucky is third with a death rate of 42 individuals per 100,000 in the population for opioids specifically.”
A study from the U-K Injury Prevention and Research Center shows in 2020, Kentucky had the third highest age-adjusted drug overdose fatality rate in the United States.
Tonight’s town hall starts at 6 p.m. at the University of Kentucky student center in Lexington.
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