LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — Arkansas was awarded $200 million from an opioid settlement regarding pharmaceutical companies overprescribing drugs.
The Arkansas Pharmacists Association (APA) is using some of that money to raise awareness of the opioid epidemic.
"I think it's more important to focus on not exactly how we got to this point, but how we come up with a resolution to get our rates down," said Dr. Marlene Battle, director of education with Arkansas Pharmacists Association.
When Battle and others from the Arkansas Pharmacists Association found out about the money from the opioid settlement, they had an idea.
The group wanted to expand a program to host meetings in Arkansas's most over-prescribed counties.
APA received $78,584 for their program, which focuses on five areas where there is a high rate of opioid prescriptions.
The first meeting is on March 28 in Garland County. The other counties are Ouachita, Baxter, Craighead and Phillips.
"I know it's a lot of stigma around controlled substances," Battle said. "It may also be a stigma around the relationships that we have with each other."
There is still space to register for these meetings. For information, call (501) 372-5250.