Featured photo: Marlene Collick, Genesee County’s deputy director of community corrections
First meeting of the Opioid Solutions Leadership Network draws participants from across the U.S.
OXFORD, N.C. – Marlene Collick, Genesee County’s deputy director of community corrections, this week joined a select group of county leaders for a two-day peer exchange in Granville and Vance Counties, N.C. hosted by the National Association of Counties (NACo), in partnership with Vital Strategies. The meeting marks the first of two in-person meetings this year for the county leaders named to NACo’s Opioid Solutions Leadership Network.
The Opioid Solutions Leadership Network assists counties in effectively investing opioid settlement funds to save lives and address the needs of people with substance use disorders. Through events like the peer exchange, the network provides a platform for county leaders to share knowledge and examine potential solutions to achieve local goals.
“It’s no secret that people are dying from substance use disorders, and even more so from opioid use disorder,” said Collick. “We must be able to address the needs of each individual as we work to address these disorders. Being part of NACo’s Opioid Solution Leadership Network provides the opportunity for Genesee County to be at the national table of understanding what other communities are doing and to bring those insights and experiences from colleagues across the country back to our own community.”
The peer exchange focused on three primary themes:
- Delivering evidence-based treatment in rural communities
- Coordinating services to create a comprehensive system of care, and
- Utilizing opioid settlement funds to implement sustainable improvements.
Participants engaged with national thought leaders and local practitioners. With a vision toward efficient investment of settlement resources, participants discussed pathways to overcome obstacles and pursue new opportunities.
“Numerous residents in our community have perished from substance use disorders and many more are still living in the madness,” Board Chairperson Ellen Ellenburg said. “Lives have been affected from these prescribed opioids. The funds from the opioid settlement will allow Genesee County to continue to work in the community to decrease substance use disorders and increase recovery successes. We are excited about the work the Marlene and our Office of Community Corrections is doing across the county to meet the needs of those affected.”
For more information about the Opioid Solutions Leadership Network, click here. To visit NACo’s Opioid Solutions Center, click here.
