Nearly 1.5 tons of meds collected
LONDON – Nearly 1.5 tons of medications were collected by Operation UNITE as part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s 13th National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. “This was the largest amount of pills that have been brought in for disposal by citizens across southern and eastern Kentucky,” said Nancy Hale, president and CEO of UNITE. “According to the National Institute on...
Read MoreStates to receive funding for opioid efforts
ATLANTA (4-18-17) – Letters are in the mail to governors of all states and U.S. territories informing them that $485 million in grants have been awarded for evidence-based initiatives through the 21st Century Cures Act, Tom Price, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced Wednesday evening at the National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit. “There is no miracle...
Read MoreNIH announces new initiative
ATLANTA (4-18-17) – America currently lacks “safe, effective, non-addictive strategies” to combat the opioid epidemic, Dr. Francis S. Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told attendees to the National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit Wednesday morning. “Our list of options is woefully short.” Collins announced plans to jump-start research through formation of...
Read MoreSummit takes international focus
ATLANTA (4-18-17) – The 6th National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit expds with an international focus on the influx of illegal drugs flowing from foreign countries into the United States. The second morning of the summit, attended by nearly 2,400 people, kicked off with a keynote address from Assistant Secretary of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and...
Read MoreRogers, Bevin kick-off Summit
ATLANTA (7-17-17) – Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-5th) and Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin issued challenges for attendees of the 6th annual National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit to be passionate, learn from one another, and share promising initiatives with others in their communities. “This week we’re dealing in hope,” Rogers stated. “We’re here to do more than talk....
Read More14th anniversary, Congressional testimony
The first week of April was a momentous occasion for Operation UNITE, President/CEO Nancy Hale told members of the UNITE Board of Directors at their monthly board meeting. On Wednesday, April 5, Hale testified before a Congressional subcommittee about the opioid epidemic. Then, on Friday, April 7, Operation UNITE celebrated 14 years of leading efforts in investigations, treatment and...
Read MoreHale testifies before U.S. House Subcommittee
Nancy Hale, President and CEO of Operation UNITE, testified before the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations’ Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies on Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Other witnesses were Barbara Cimaglio, Deputy Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Health; Bill Guy, Parents Helping Parents; and Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, Senior...
Read MoreDrug Courts proving their worth
Child support collections from Drug Courts in Operation UNITE’s service region rose by more than 75 percent in February, while the number of community service hours provided by participants increased by more than 40 percent during the same period. “Drug courts continue to prove their worth to the families and communities in our service area,” UNITE President/CEO Nancy Hale said. “With...
Read MoreKSP to pilot ‘The Angel Initiative’
PIKEVILLE – It’s not about getting soft on crime. It’s about getting smart about dealing with the substance abuse problems facing southern and eastern Kentucky. That message, from Kentucky State Police Commissioner Rick Sanders, was stressed several times during a forum in Pikeville March 9 to discuss implementation of a pilot program – The Angel Initiative – designed to help those in...
Read MoreChad’s Hope holds graduation
MANCHESTER – Nearly nine years to the day after Chad’s Hope Teen Challenge Center admitted its first client for treatment of a substance use disorder, three young men celebrated completion of the nine-month program. Among those present for the March 3 celebration were U.S. Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-5th); Scott Brinkman, Secretary of the Executive Cabinet for Kentucky Governor...
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