A Community in Crisis

Following the first drug forum, we started gathering statistics and talking with various law enforcement, emergency personnel and others that see the impact of addiction on the lives and people of our community. It is said that opioid

SEE Crisis,

overdoses claim the lives of 91 Americans every day, according to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In our community it is said that opioid addiction and methamphetamine are the primary sources of concern for Columbia and Adair County.We have done interviews, received statistics and talked with people from all phases of our community. In the coming weeks a series of articles will explain some of the statistics, some of the information we received and programs that are assisting with help and recovery.

Several local officials and their offices have responded with information and some are still researching additional statistics on drugs. Some of the agencies we are working with include:

a. Circuit Clerk Dennis Loy and his staff, who are gathering resources

b. County Sheriff Harrison Moss and his office, who have furnished information and are gathering additional details

c. Columbia Adair County Ambulance Service, who have given us numbers on calls and other details

d. County Jailer Joey White for information

e. City Chief Jason Cross who has given us officer training information, we are awaiting statistics

f. Kentucky State Police and their informational officer

If you see information that you would like researched, please call the newspaper and leave a number and we will call you.