OPIOID ADDICTION KEY BATTLEFRONT

Rural America is a key battlefront where the crisis is growing. At the same time, the agriculture-based economy continues to struggle and lacks the resources to support needed healthcare infrastructure improvements and growth. Fifteen states have more than 50% of their population living in rural areas. This includes Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, West Virginia, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Those 15 states recorded 2,854 opioid overdose deaths in 2013, according to Kaiser. By 2016, there were 4,162 deaths -- a 46% increase. Another 19 states are more rural than the national average, according to the Census. Those states -- Oregon, Idaho, New Mexico, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri, Louisiana, Tennessee, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia -- had a total of 9,633 opioid overdose deaths in 2013. By 2016, the number spiked to 17,365. NO CORNER UNTOUCHED "Certainly there is no corner of the country that's gone untouched," said Anne Hazlett, assistant to the secretary for rural development at USDA. "Rural communities are particularly impacted. We believe strongly as we move forward that the most effective solutions are at the local level. Rural leaders have come together for generations. This is no different." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data highlights the growth of drug addiction in rural areas in less than two decades. In 1999, the drug overdose death rate for urban areas was higher than in rural areas at 6.4 per 100,000 residents, compared to 4.0 in rural areas. By 2015, rural overdose death rate per 100,000 residents spiked to 17.0 compared to the urban rate of 16.2. From 2000 to 2014, there was a 200% increase nationally in the rate of overdose deaths involving opioid pain relievers and heroin.