by Melissa Reinert, [email protected]

July 16, 2017: Liz Dufour

Covington paramedics administer Narcan intravenously to Gracie Centers after she overdosed in Covington last summer. Prior to their arrival, bystanders had given her 12 milligrams of nasal Narcan. It took an additional six milligrams of IV Narcan before she was revived.(Photo: Liz Dufour)

A plan to get Northern Kentucky drug-free is about to get a boost, even as the plan’s initiator – the Northern Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy – begins to search for a new leader.

State Rep. Kim Moser will transition from her role as former executive director to member of the Drug Control Policy Board as her responsibilities in the Kentucky General Assembly continue to grow. The search for the next director will soon be underway.

Meanwhile the Drug Control Policy Board will expand, bringing more allies to the battlefield to combat this growing epidemic of drug addiction.

Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties have partnered with several key regional organizations to enhance the drug control policy office’s capabilities.

Kenton County Judge-executive Kris Knochelmann said he is excited about the recent organizational structure because they “formally recognize the deep engagement of our community partners,” as well as further position Moser to be “even more impactful on a state and regional level.”

Garren Colvin, chief executive officer of St. Elizabeth Healthcare; Dr. Lynne Saddler, district director of health for the Northern Kentucky Independent Health District; and Chris Conners, director of the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force will represent their respective organizations as they join the board.

In The Enquirer’s special report, “Seven Days of Heroin,” we followed Lizzie Hamblin whose son, Scotty, went missing. Scotty agreed to talk to us from the Campbell County Detention Center, where he is serving the remainder of his sentence. The Enquirer/Carrie Cochran

Saddler said the board’s additional talents will “accelerate” the next phase of a regional coordinated response which is also “a critical juncture in responding to the epidemic of substance use disorders.”

Boone County Judge-executive Gary Moore said the expansion will “build even stronger partnerships while enhancing our ability to attack the substance abuse epidemic.”

The Office of Drug Control Policy has been instrumental in creating the NKY Substance Abuse Help-line, deploying “Quick Response Teams” in each county and carrying out a comprehensive education campaign.

“The Northern Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy moved our region to the front line of combatting the national heroin and opiate epidemic. In the areas of education, treatment and law enforcement, we made tremendous gains,” Knochelmann said. “Much work has been done, yet much work remains and these changes are a logical next step in tackling the toughest enemy our community has ever faced.”