The state of Kentucky is the ninth leading state for deaths by drug overdose according to the most recent statistics from the 2018 CDC report. The two most affected counties in Kentucky for heroin related overdose deaths were Jefferson County (Louisville) and Fayette County (Lexington). The same goes for these two counties regarding fentanyl related deaths in the most recently available reporting year which was 2018. Lexington, Kentucky is a melting pot of different cultures, races, religions, and ethnicities. It is also home to the University of Kentucky which has a little over 30,000 students. This large student population adds to the diversity that is the city of Lexington. BrightView is opening one of its first centers in the state of Kentucky in Lexington to ensure that we are going where the most diversely populated of communities are and most importantly, one that needs help the most. BrightView’s Chief Medical Officer, and one of its founders, was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. Dr. Shawn Ryan, says that the move to Kentucky, especially Lexington and Louisville, “is a significant part of my vision for our company and means the world to me to be able to bring world class treatment to my hometown”. Fayette County (Lexington) is the second leading county in terms of fatal opioid overdoses, proving that the demand for addiction treatment services is high. The most up to date statistics from the Kentucky Chamber Workforce Center are not promising. Although the most recent information is from 2017, more than 1,500 of our fellow Kentuckians died from drug overdoses — an average of four each and every day — and the number of deaths is increasing by a rate of 11.5% per year. According to healty-ky.org, “A new Kentucky Health Issues Poll from January 2020 (KHIP) report shows an uptick in prescription pain medicine misuse last year, while heroin and methamphetamine use remained a steady problem. Nearly two in five Kentucky adults in 2019 said they knew someone who misused prescription pain meds, compared to about one in five for meth and heroin, according to the KHIP report.” The good news? Another telephone poll conducted by the Foundation For A Healthy Kentucky found that about 7 in 10 Kentucky adults (66%) reported they believe addiction is a disease, unchanged from 2017 (70%), the last time KHIP asked this question. This shows that Kentuckians are compassionate and informed about the disease of addiction. However, when asked whether they would know how to help someone with an addiction disorder find treatment, only a little more than half of Kentucky adults answered yes. BrightView is determined to change these statistics for Lexingtonians and the state of Kentucky. Lexington is a beautiful city, and Kentuckians are among the nicest people in the country. The opioid epidemic has been wreaking havoc for far too long. It is time to take control of this awful disease. Bringing our medication assisted treatment services paired with our compassionate and informed staff to the city of Lexington, BrightView is determined to make a difference in the lives of Lexingtonians.
June 22, 2020