Now apparently fueled by regular postal mail delivery, opioids are making their way through local government streets, and local governments are taking to the streets to help their residents. As author Geoff Beckwith, executive director, Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) writes in the October PM article “Leading the Fight Against the Opioid Crisis,” because of managers’ unique position in the heart of communities, they have an obligation to lead the fight to prevent opioid abuse and overdoses.

MMA’s Board of Directors created a special Municipal Opioid Addiction and Overdose Prevention Task Force to assist local officials in Massachusetts as they contend with the epidemic in their communities. MMA’s 2016 final report titled An Obligation to Lead includes a call to action that focuses on leading practices and immediate steps officials can take to battle the public health crisis and save lives. Here are 10 recommendations the task force identified:

1. Take the lead to increase public awareness and engagement.
2. Designate a municipal point person on substance abuse prevention.
3. Encourage intra-community, regional, and statewide collaboration.
4. Develop a one-page resource guide for families and those seeking treatment or assistance.
5. Pilot innovative programs based on local needs.
6. Publicize the Good Samaritan Law.
7. Partner with schools to implement programs aimed at prevention.
8. Create prevention curriculum and education programs.
9. Provide first responders with naloxone (Narcan) to prevent overdose deaths.
10. Create safe disposal sites in your community for the discarding of prescription drugs.

The second of two articles on opioids in the October issue is “The Opioid Mission of Broome County, New York," written by Sean Britton, director of public health and deputy emergency medical services coordinator for Broome County. Law enforcement officials there recognized that the opioid crisis is a problem that cannot be solved solely through the criminal justice system. Find out how the collaboration of numerous partners has provided the most effective level of service. The county’s model of action can be scaled to any local government size.

For more specific details provided in these articles, read the October issue of Public Management (PM) magazine.

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