Kasich mulling mayors’ request for more help to fight opioids

Gov. John Kasich said he will give “serious consideration” to requests from a coalition of 25 Ohio mayors who have asked for more state help fighting the opioid crisis (Source: “Kasich considering request to fight opioids,” Massilon Independent, Aug. 23, 2017).

The Ohio Mayors Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of 25 mayors of the state’s largest cities, Monday asked Kasich for help with the “unfolding catastrophe” in the drug epidemic. The mayors said the state needs “a more coordinated and comprehensive strategy between all levels of government” to fight the deadly crisis that resulted in more than 4,000 overdose deaths last year.

“The Governor’s Opiate Action Team has been meeting with communities that have been hardest hit by this epidemic to ensure that they are taking advantage of all the tools and $1 billion that are available, and we will give serious consideration to these recommendations,” Kasich spokesman Jon Keeling said.

The officials also urged Kasich to form a “two-way communication with local government officials including mayors, county commissioners, sheriffs and coroners, public health departments, behavioral health providers, hospitals, and medical associations.” They said the state should set up a mechanism to allow mutual aid between jurisdictions, look at all ways to get more funding, including the private sector, and use the Ohio Department of Insurance to leverage private insurers to expand drug treatment options.