:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/adn/H7TMPHYILVCXFHEEX6JIQTB4FQ.jpg "OPINION: Dunleavy’s rosy messaging ignores Alaska’s overdose death crisis")
Mike Dunleavy is making a last-ditch effort to try to persuade Alaskans that our communities have by no means been safer and that issues have by no means been higher for our state and financial system. Individuals in villages, cities and in every single place in between, nonetheless, acknowledge that his marketing campaign spin is simply one other lie supposed to distort actuality for his personal profit.
In simply the previous 12 months, Dunleavy vetoed state funding for drug canines, did not get the state to concentrate on seizure efforts that block harmful medication from making it into our state within the first place, and wasted time contributing to an excessive, false nationwide narrative that blames all of our struggles on challenges on the U.S.-Mexico border.
On the similar time, Alaska skilled a 71% enhance in fentanyl deaths. That’s 4 instances the nationwide common, and opioid deaths have greater than doubled on Dunleavy’s watch and elevated at a better price than anyplace else within the nation.
This can be a heart-wrenching reversal from the place my administration left off. I used to be one of many nation’s first governors to declare a statewide opioid emergency, charting a course for folks impacted by dependancy and people engaged on options to cut back overdose deaths to come back collectively and discover options. I additionally aggressively pursued greater than $36 million in grant funding to fight the opioid epidemic. Lastly, in partnership with the late Sen. Johnny Ellis, we obtained a lifesaving drug, Narcan, into the arms of extra Alaskans. Because of this work, throughout my administration, we noticed a 36% lower in overdose deaths.
We are able to’t say our state is wholesome whereas we’re main the nation in overdose deaths. We are able to’t take Dunleavy’s “‘mission achieved’ banner” on public security critically so long as most communities in our state nonetheless don’t have any legislation enforcement in any respect.
Heidi and I can and can do higher for folks combating dependancy, starting with these 5 steps:
- Reinstate the Opioid Response Construction, disbanded underneath Dunleavy, together with the Incident Command System to as soon as once more create a unified strategy throughout all departments to make the most of alternatives for funding, public communication, legislation enforcement, and suppliers to coordinate on prevention and response;
- Reinstate sturdy grant applications for diversion, remedy and remedy in all areas of Alaska;
- Be sure that all areas of Alaska had assist for grant writing and utility, administration of these grants;
- Guarantee sturdy federal funding outreach for all ranges;
- Reinstitute the Neighborhood Help Program for municipalities and cities, in order that satisfactory municipal-level response is feasible.
Alaska is experiencing disaster ranges of opioid deaths on Mike Dunleavy’s watch. As Dr. Jay Butler, former Well being and Social Providers Commissioner, has mentioned, “Statistics are simply numbers with out the tears hooked up.”
Behind each statistic is a household whose lives are endlessly impacted by the lack of their cherished one to opioids. Alaska deserves a governor who will confront this disaster head-on with significant options, not with meaningless soundbites in an election 12 months.
Invoice Walker served because the eleventh governor of Alaska and is operating for that place once more on Nov. 8 alongside lieutenant governor candidate Heidi Drygas, who was Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Improvement. Invoice, a former Republican, and Heidi, a former Democrat, fashioned a Unity Ticket and are operating as independents.
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/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25822586/STK169_ZUCKERBERG_MAGA_STKS491_CVIRGINIA_A.jpg "Meta is highlighting a splintering global approach to online speech")
