By Derek Parham
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – For the first time since 2018, overdose fatalities in Kentucky are trending downward, despite the national average continuing on an upward trend.
Kentucky and eight other states nationwide have experienced a decrease in overdose deaths. For the Commonwealth, we’ve observed a five percent decrease. Sarah Adkins, a site administrator for Yellow Banks Recovery Center through Addiction Recovery Care (ARC), says that the largest contributor to the decrease is increased education surrounding addiction treatment.
“We have taken a proactive approach to educating people about recovery and about how to prevent overdose,” said Akins. “So, treatment is more readily available in Kentucky than ever before.”
Providing access to affordable treatment, making an effort to destigmatize that treatment, and having NARCAN available over the counter have also proven to be successful in the fight against the opioid epidemic.
“Anyone can have NARCAN, they can carry it in their car, they can keep it on their person, they can have it available in their home, if they are afraid that a family member or a friend or even a stranger that they see out may be having an overdose, NARCAN is a life saving measure,” Adkins said.
Changing the narrative and viewing addiction as a healthcare risk rather than a criminal act has been pivotal in reaching those that need treatment, and in encouraging them to take the first step into recovery.
Adkins shares that addiction is not a crime, but a disease.
“And that disease can be treated, addiction is treatable. When someone wants treatment, it’s important to act quickly because those decisions can be fleeting,” she said.