LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Clark County Board of Commissioners is looking for 15 people to join the new regional opioid task force.
The task force was created after Assembly Bill 132 was signed into law. That created the task force, which will look at data related to opioid overdose deaths and use that information to identify trends and identify gaps in community services.
However, there are certain requirements to join the board, which you can see below.
- One member will represent a social services agency in Clark County.
- One member will represent the Clark County School District.
- One member will represent the Department of Family Services of Clark County.
- One member will represent the Department of Juvenile Justice Services of Clark County.
- One member will represent the Southern Nevada Health District.
- One member will be the Clark County coroner or their designee.
- One member will represent law enforcement that is selected from a list of nominees submitted by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
- One member will have experience in public health epidemiology and will be selected from a list of nominees submitted by the Southern Nevada Health District.
- One member will have experience in primary health care.
- One member will have experience in mental health care.
- One member will have experience in behavioral health care.
- One member will have experience in the field of addiction medicine.
- One member will represent an emergency medical services provider in Clark County.
- One member will represent public health educators or community health workers who represent or serve people with limited English proficiency.
- One member will represent a substance use disorder prevention coalition in Clark County.
According to the county, task force members will serve a one-year team, which is scheduled to expire on Dec. 31, 2024. At the end of the term, the task force will summarize their work with a report and provide recommendations to legislators. Meetings will be held at least once each quarter and are required to begin in January 2024.
Anyone interested in applying, can find more information here.
"We all know the opioid epidemic is hurting thousands of families across Clark County," said County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick. "I am hopeful this task force will not only look at prevention methods but also promote long-term recovery solutions."
According to data from KFF, a health policy research firm, three in 10 U.S. adults say someone in their family has been addicted to opioids. Here in Clark County, the Southern Nevada Health District estimates that 1,412 opioid-related overdose deaths have happened between January 2018 and July 2022. Several drugs have been growing in popularity in that time including fentayl, which accounted for 46% of those deaths, and an animal tranquilizer called xylazine.
Both local and state officials have been looking for ways to combat the issue. In June, Clark County commissioners approved plans for an opioid treatment center. The project is expected to cost over $64 million and the money is coming from the state opioid settlement fund. According to Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford's office, Nevada has received over $606 million in opioid litigation settlements since 2020.
