LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- As opioid use continues to rise in Kentucky, state and national leaders are coming together to expand recovery services.
Kentucky U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell joined Volunteers of America, the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and leaders from neighboring states for a roundtable discussion Thursday at the Freedom House in Louisville.
They talked about ways to reduce opioid addiction rates. To help meet demand, Volunteers of America said it is doubling the size of programs in southeast Kentucky and adding two new centers in northern Kentucky.
"We're losing Americans at the rate of 100,000 people every 12 months," said Dr. Rahul Gupta with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "That means an American is perishing every 5 minutes around the clock, and that's not acceptable to us. It's heartbreaking. "
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kentucky has seen a 50% increase in overdose deaths.
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