-----Forwarded Message-----
From: BernCo Neighborhood Coordination
Sent: Mar 29, 2016 1:41 PM
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Subject: BernCo News Release: Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins Presents BernCo Initiatives at National Drug Abuse Summit

For Immediate Release March 29, 2016

www.bernco.gov

Contact: Andy Lenderman alenderman@bernco.gov O. 505.314.0403 C. 505.414.0485

Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins to Present BernCo Initiatives at National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit

 Policymakers, law enforcement and researchers gather as heroin abuse surges nationwide

Bernalillo County – Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins is scheduled to present Bernalillo County’s innovative and inclusive community health strategy to a nationwide audience today at the 5th annual National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin­­ Summit in Atlanta.

President Obama, Congressional leaders, law enforcement officials and researchers are among the 1,800 people gathered in Atlanta this week to fight a national epidemic of drug abuse and overdose deaths in America.

Commissioner Hart Stebbins will tell the story of Bernalillo County’s Community Health Council and the four-year-old Opioid Accountability Initiative. This grassroots effort harnesses the collective energy of the healthcare, law enforcement, corrections and judicial communities, and the many families impacted by this disease to fight heroin and opioid abuse in Bernalillo County. Hundreds of people are now involved, focusing on prevention, treatment, criminal justice and other areas.

“Bernalillo County has been recognized for its leadership in creating inclusive, community-based responses to the heroin and opioid epidemic that is hurting families and draining public resources in New Mexico and across the United States,” Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins says. “I’m honored to highlight the initiatives of the Bernalillo County Community Health Council and represent the hundreds of stakeholders in our community who are engaged in this fight -- families, healthcare professionals, educators, researchers, law enforcement, and community leaders who are working towards solutions.”

Conference organizers are paying for Commissioner Hart Stebbins’ travel costs.

New Mexico has the 2nd-highest drug overdose death rate in the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

 In 2014, 197 people died from drug overdoses in Bernalillo County.

To learn more about the summit, click here. To learn more about President Obama’s efforts on this issue, click here.

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About Bernalillo County

Bernalillo County is 1,160 square miles and is New Mexico’s most populous county with more than 674,000 residents. Bernalillo County government provides a wide range of public services to residents who live in Albuquerque, Los Ranchos and Tijeras and the 111,000 residents who live outside the village and city limits in the unincorporated areas of the county. Bernalillo County employs approximately 2,500 people and has an annual operating budget and capital investments of more than $500 million. Elected officials include five county commissioners, assessor, clerk, probate judge, sheriff and treasurer