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There is perhaps no issue more pressing for local governments than the opioid epidemic. In 2017, of the 70,237 drug-overdose deaths in the United States, 67.8 percent involved an opioid. While municipal leaders have devoted significant resources to combating the epidemic, they are too often drawn into a costly game of  "Whac-A-Mole." Nowhere has that frustration been felt more keenly than in New York City. Staten Island, once the epicenter of the opioid epidemic in the state, saw overdose deaths fall by 15 percent in 2017, while the Bronx experienced a 12 percent increase. It was therefore completely rational for Mayor Bill de Blasio to announce, a plan to implement in the Bronx the same approaches attributed to Staten Island's success. Then, several weeks later, preliminary data for 2018 indicated that overdose deaths on Staten Island had likely increased. Follow this link to read more. Sourced from: Governing.
In order to build a true data-driven solution that can be utilized for solving the problem of homelessness, we must first build a methodology to understand, model, simulate, and ultimately re-think where needed the ecosystem of solutions aimed at ameliorating homelessness in a city. A mechanism that allows us to understand, design, and view an ecosystem of solutions will be able to give us as near as possible an exhaustive view of all of the organizations, programs, people, and technology that are currently in play, presumably interacting with each other to solve a particular problem. The end goal of this assessment is to build an accurate model that simulates how siloed homeless solutions in a city interact, operate, and lead to desired outcomes. This allows for the ecosystem of solutions’ impact on the homeless population to be understood, measured, and modified as needed. Follow this link to read more. Sourced from: Data-Smart City Solutions.
D’Artagnan Scorza founder and Executive Director of the Social Justice Learning Institute will be speaking at the National Urban Extension Conference, Thursday, May 23, 2019. Dr. D’Artagnan Scorza's work is grounded in efforts to create communities where all people can thrive. His expansive research, education, grassroots organizing, and policy experience has made a significant impact in high need communities throughout California. While at UCLA, he helped pass policies that established veteran’s service centers and prioritized $160 million for student services across UC campuses. He also improved sustainability in Inglewood schools, having served as chair of the Measure GG campaign, where he helped to secure $90 million to support school construction efforts. He is published in multiple academic journals and is a lecturer in the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA. Follow this link for a list of all keynote speakers. Follow this link to register for NUEC 2019 Sourced from: NUEC

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