Alaska Counter Drug Team Wins National-Level Award

“I think [being selected for the award] was a combination of incredibly welcome mission partners who included the Alaska Drug Demand Reduction Outreach program into their incredibly important initiatives, and the outstanding contributions of our DDRO members,” says Conkling.

Conkling said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year, members of her team extended their reach and support by filling in the gaps for partnering organizations that needed assistance.

“This year, the Drug Demand Reduction Outreach program has been integral to the success of two programs in particular—Project Hope and the Drug Overdose Death Review Project,” explains Theresa Welton, Office of Misuse and Addiction Prevention, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. “In the absence of public-health members who were called away to address the COVID-19 pandemic, the DDRO team stepped in to support these two efforts to enable seamless continuation despite the circumstances.”

One way the DDRO team helped was by assembling lifesaving Naloxone kits while working from home. This effort was meant to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic on Alaskans suffering from addiction.

Additionally, the team also stepped in to facilitate the inaugural review board of the Drug Overdose Death Review Project, providing valuable data to inform the identification of local drug threats, vulnerabilities and evidence-base prevention strategies to address them.

“The DDRO team provided the continuity for the coalition support,” says Alaska Air National Guard Col. Jack Evans, chief of the joint staff. “The backbone to the state’s Drug Overdose Death Review Board, the manpower for drug prevention outreach for those experiencing homelessness, the logistical expertise to keep the Naloxone distribution effort afloat, and many other state-wide prevention efforts.”

One way the DDRO team helped was by assembling lifesaving Naloxone kits while working from home. This effort was meant to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic on Alaskans suffering from addiction.

Additionally, the team also stepped in to facilitate the inaugural review board of the Drug Overdose Death Review Project, providing valuable data to inform the identification of local drug threats, vulnerabilities and evidence-base prevention strategies to address them.

“The DDRO team provided the continuity for the coalition support,” says Alaska Air National Guard Col. Jack Evans, chief of the joint staff. “The backbone to the state’s Drug Overdose Death Review Board, the manpower for drug prevention outreach for those experiencing homelessness, the logistical expertise to keep the Naloxone distribution effort afloat, and many other state-wide prevention efforts.”