The opioid crisis is shifting, not ending. The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics estimated that more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States between April 2020 to April 2021, an increase of 28.5% from the same period the year before. As states continue to clamp down on abuse of legal prescriptions, the prevalence and variety of opioids and other illegal drugs continues to grow. These drugs and associated drug...

During the pandemic, many social services programs were forced to modernize to get assistance to those in need faster. While these efforts brought short-term success, they also demonstrated the importance of phased approaches to longer term transformation. Instead of embarking on a multi-year, complex and monolithic effort, agencies can take a new, modular approach to social services modernization to automate everything from eligibility to pay...

One clear lesson from COVID-19 is that digital services are a vital part of government resiliency strategies. When social distancing requirements made in-person government transactions undesirable or unavailable, web and mobile channels became some of the primary means for delivering services to citizens and businesses. This session will explore: • How the COVID-19 experience is shaping digital services strategies going forward• Best...

The COVID-19 pandemic was yet another reminder that state and local leaders must be ready to cope with large-scale disruption. Effective leadership at the city, county and state level has been vital for limiting the spread of the virus and maintaining support for social distancing efforts. And strong leadership will be just as important as communities navigate the economic recovery and cope with declining revenues. Our panelists will cover: Le...

GOVERNING’S Summit on the Cost of Government is an invitation-only gathering of public officials to confront the structural problems in government and explore the path forward. After the recession, where do states go from here? What are the smart strategies to accelerate recovery, restore stability and create sustainable growth as governments go through a fundamental reset of the way they do the public’s business? The answers matte...