Washington — November 27, 2017 —The National League of Cities (NLC) presented Esri, a leader in spatial analytics, with the Distinguished Service to Cities Award at the 2017 City Summit in Charlotte for their work helping city leaders combat the opioid epidemic. The award is given annually to two NLC partners for making a significant contribution to building stronger, more innovative and resilient cities and towns.
“Esri arms city leaders with real-time data and insights that help them take action in the fight against opioid abuse,” said National League of Cities (NLC) CEO and Executive Director Clarence E. Anthony.
“We have been working with Local Governments to shine a light on the problem of opioid abuse by using mapping and analytics,” said Jeremiah Lindemann, Esri geographer. “This is no longer a problem that occurs in seclusion, and NLC recognizes that in order to serve communities going forward, leaders must be better-informed about how and where to apply solutions to this epidemic.”
“Esri understands opioid abuse affects the fabric of communities,” said Jack Dangermond, Esri founder and president. “We are thankful for the opportunity to help find solutions to this devastating epidemic, and honored to be recognized by NLC for making location intelligence part of the work cities are doing to stay healthier and safer in the face of this public health challenge.”
In 2017, Esri created a series of interactive maps that demonstrate the impact of opioids across American cities, including the locations of deaths by drug poisoning and the number of prescriptions made per provider.
Last year, NLC and the National Association of Counties (NACo) created the National City-County Task Force on the Opioid Epidemic to develop strategies and suggestions for combating the opioid crisis. Their recommendations were compiled into a report, A Prescription for Action, released last December. You can find more about local efforts to combat the crisis at opioidaction.org.
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The National League of Cities (NLC) is the voice of America’s cities, towns and villages, representing more than 200 million people across the country. NLC works to strengthen local leadership, influence federal policy and drive innovative solutions. Stay connected with NLC on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.