The U.S. Department of Rural Development is partnering with the Office of National Drug Control Policy to provide a rural resource guide to help communities address substance use disorder and opioid abuse. USDA Rural Development Director for South Dakota Julie Gross says it’s a very extensive guide that can be easily accessed on the web.
She says the crisis has hit Rural America quite hard including South Dakota in a number of different ways and forms.
Gross says the prescription side of the problem can be handled by the medical community, USDA Rural Development has loan and grant programs available to assist those suffering from opioid misuse or substance abuse.
President Donald Trump has mobilized his entire administration to address opioid abuse by declaring it a nationwide Public Health Emergency. And since 2000 more than 300,000 Americans have died from overdoses involving opioids.
