Nevada Attorney General's Opioid Crisis Working Group has first meeting on Thursday

CARSON CITY, Nev. (News 4-Fox 11 Digital Staff — Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt announced the formation of a Statewide Partnership on the Opioid Crisis.

The Working Group’s first meeting will take place on Thursday, March 8, , and will include members from local and federal law enforcement, prosecutors, experts in the medical field, elected officials, and judicial and educational representatives.

The primary function of the statewide partnership is to make recommendations to the Attorney General’s Office and Nevada’s Statewide Opioid Coordinator on best practices for data sharing to combat the opioid crisis.

“I commend Governor Sandoval for his leadership on this issue, and agree with his agencies that the sharing of information and statistics between healthcare providers and law enforcement will prevent opioid overdoses and save lives,” said Laxalt. “I believe in an all-of-the-above approach to the opioid crisis, and look forward to statewide communication and collaboration on this issue.”

The following are members of the Statewide Partnership on the Opioid Crisis Working Group:

• Linda Aguire, Specialty Courts Coordinator for the Nevada Supreme Court
• Linda Anderson, Chief Deputy Attorney General for the Office of the Nevada Attorney General
• Patrick Brodsky, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the Las Vegas FBI
• Marissa Brown, Clinical Director for the Nevada Hospital Association
• Daniel Burkhead, Pain Management Physician and Medical Director for Innovative Pain Care Center
• Patty Cafferata, Special Assistant Attorney General for the Office of the Nevada Attorney General
• Steve Canavero, Superintendent for the Department of Education
• Keith Carter, Director of High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
• Pat Conmay, Chief of Investigations for the Nevada Department of Public Safety
• Bob Crowell, Mayor of Carson City
• Kevin Dick, District Health Officer for Washoe County
• Rebecca Druckman, Deputy District Attorney for Washoe County
• James Dzurenda, Director for the Nevada Department of Corrections
• Bret Frey, Physician and President of Western Provider Services
• John Fudenberg, Coroner for the Clark County Office of the Corner-Medical Examiner
• Carolyn Goodman, Mayor of the City of Las Vegas
• Heidi Gustafson, Advocacy Development for the Foundation for Recovery
• Joseph Iser, Chief Health Officer for Southern Nevada Health District
• Mark Jackson, District Attorney for Douglas County
• Kitty Jung, Commissioner for the Washoe County District Board of Health
• Terry Kerns, Substance Abuse Law Enforcement Coordinator for the Office of the Nevada Attorney General
• Laura Knight, Chief Medical Examiner and Coroner for Washoe County
• Stacie Mathewson, member of the public
• Kyra Morgan, Chief Biostatistician for the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services
• Daniel Neill, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration
• Christine Payson, Project Coordinator of High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
• Adam Porath, Ambulatory Pharmacy Manager for Renown Health
• Ben Reed, Chief of the Elko County Police Department
• Ken Riddle, Executive Director for the Nevada Fire Chiefs Association
• Jeff Segal, Bureau Chief for the Office of the Nevada Attorney General
• Steve Shell, CEO of Behavioral Care Hospital
• Anthony Slonim, President and CEO of Renown Health
• Tina Talim, Chief Deputy District Attorney for Clark County
• Robert Talley, Executive Director for the Nevada Dental Association
• Mason Van Houweling, CEO of the University Medical Center
• Stephanie Woodard, Senior Advisor on Behavioral Health for the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services
• Jim Wright, Director of the Nevada Department of Public Safety
• Dave Wuest, Deputy Executive Secretary for the Board of Pharmacy
• Mike Wurm, Executive Director for the Boys and Girls Club of Truckee Meadows
• Cyndi and Edward Yenick, members of the public and co-founders of the Bub Hugs Foundation

In October of 2017, Nevada’s Interim Finance Committee unanimously approved AG Laxalt’s “Prescription for Addiction” opioid initiative to combat the use, abuse and misuse of prescription drugs in Nevada.

The opioid initiative incorporates key elements addressed and recommended in Governor Sandoval’s Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Plan, and by the Center for Disease Control, National Governor’s Association, as well as experts, as paramount to success in ending the opioid epidemic. The five points address priority areas including:

• Provide one full-time dedicated criminal investigator to be assigned to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s new opioid task force created in response to Nevada’s opioid epidemic.
• Purchase and install five drug disposal incinerators to be placed strategically in secure law enforcement locations throughout the State to incinerate prescription and illicit drugs seized or received through a take-back program.
• Grant approximately $500,000 to after-school prevention and education programs concerning drug and opioid abuse.
• Allocate $250,000 to the Department of Health and Human Services to purchase Naloxone/Narcan for local law enforcement agencies and first responders to be used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses. This medication is needed to prevent opioid overdoses and save lives.
• Allocate approximately $675,000 to the Department of Health and Human Services to strengthen the efforts of statewide partners currently working on prevention and education efforts related to opioid addiction.

In 2016, Governor Sandoval convened a Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Summit to combat Nevada’s prescription drug abuse epidemic. The Summit culminated in a summary of findings and recommendations that outlined a holistic approach to addressing Nevada’s opioid epidemic. AG Laxalt’s “Prescription for Addiction” initiative incorporated key elements of Governor Sandoval’s recommendations, among others.