OUR HISTORY

begins with a community having the courage to take on the opioid epidemic. Walker County, Alabama was and remains a national hot spot for opioid prescribing. 83.5 million opioid doses legally entered the county from 2006 to 2012. Four out of the top 10 Alabama cities and towns for opioid prescribing rates were in Walker County. In one community, Sumiton, that amounted to 687 pills per person, per year. The highly addictive nature of prescription opioids changed our community by inviting addiction into our homes with more power than anyone could have imagined. Today's opioid epidemic has evolved to include many other illicit and legal substances like heroin, meth, and benzodiazepines. Every individual, family, and community is impacted.

In 2018, our community began to take action. The Walker County Health Action Partnership (HAP) is a coalition of organizations committed to making Walker County a healthier place to live, work and play. HAP partners decided it was time to take on the devastating impacts of the opioid epidemic in Walker County. HAP Anchor Organization, Capstone Rural Health Center, received funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to better understand the issues and challenges pertaining to the opioid and heroin problem in our community. This planning grant supported a strategic planning process in which local organizations met regularly to conduct a needs assessment, collect comprehensive data and develop a multi-year strategic plan. The coordination and collaboration supported by the grant is sustained through The Healing Network of Walker County, which remains a priority of HAP.

Capstone Rural Health Center manages the operations of the Network through support from the Walker Area Community Foundation.