Gov. Maggie Hassan, alongside dozens of law enforcement officers, medical experts and advocates Tuesday, announced a new campaign designed to tackle the state’s opioid epidemic.
The effort, called "Anyone Anytime NH," involves a 24-hour hotline, as well as a website that links addicts, caregivers and healthcare providers to guidelines and resources.
It also provides information on how to obtain and administer the overdose reversal drug Narcan, which has now been made available for free at community health centers across the state.
State Health Commissioner Nick Toumpas said curbing this epidemic involves an all-hands-on-deck approach.
“Each one of us can play a role in fighting this devastating disease that needs no more stigma, no more shame, no more denial, no more fear but demands our best effort and our deepest compassion,” Toumpas said at a State House press conference Tuesday.
Hassan also highlighted the state’s efforts in establishing a prescription drug monitoring program, as well as passing a Good Samaritan law, which pardons people who call 911 for a drug overdose.
But she stressed that although law enforcement continues to try to cut off the supply of illegal drugs, the state’s focus is on stopping addiction at its roots.
“What we can do in New Hampshire most effectively is stop the demand," Hassan said. "If we stop the demand, the supply chain will stop coming here, so that is one of the critical things every Granite Stater can take part in doing."
Since January of 2014, 558 people have died from a drug overdose in the state.