Surgeon general praises state effort to combat opioid crisis

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) - U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams says he’s impressed by how Rhode Islanders are working together to curb the opioid epidemic.

U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, brought Adams to the Anchor Recovery Community Center in Pawtucket Friday to meet with state leaders, people in recovery and addiction specialists. They talked about strategies for addressing opioid abuse.

Adams says it made him optimistic “we can all come together to solve this crisis.”

Whitehouse wrote legislation, signed into law in 2016, to expand medication-assisted treatment, improve prescription drug monitoring, and promote comprehensive state responses.

Rhode Island received $3 million to create centers providing rapid access to treatment and comprehensive services. Ten centers have opened since September 2016.

Whitehouse says Rhode Island can be a model for other hard-hit areas.