Aetna Foundation President Discusses What it Will Take to Solve the Opioid Crisis
In 2015, our life expectancy dropped for the first time since the height of the AIDS epidemic. That can be blamed largely on the opioid epidemic, which is plaguing communities, families, and individuals across the United States. In fact, in a single year, more than 40,000 individuals died due to opioid drug overdoses.
Even our healthiest communities aren’t immune. Communities that otherwise score high on social determinants like clean air, good schools, and walkability are suffering from this epidemic. Communities like Philadelphia and Montgomery County, Md. have been hit, even though they were both included on the Healthiest Communities rankings collaboration between U.S. News & World Report and the Aetna (AET, -0.12%) Foundation.
Every community, every family, and every person facing opioid addiction faces a unique battle, which is why we’re looking for local solutions to solve the crisis....