Presiding Officer: Randy Bretz

Secretary: Christina Usher
Finemaster: Kiersten Hill

Sgt. At Arms: Maury Halstead

Cashiers: Mike Renken & Frosty Critchfield
Greeters: Gail Illich & Steve Miller
Speaker Host: Randy Bretz

Speaker: Jeff Kahrs

Jeff Kahrs
 

Topic: Each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 130 Americans die from drug overdoses on opioids. Jeff Kahrs, the Director of Region 7 of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will provide an update on the national strategy to combat the opioid crisis at our meeting on May 21. The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018, sponsored by United States Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, calls on the Department of Health and Human Services to work with other Federal agencies including the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the Department of Education and Labor to address the crisis. Khars will provide an update on the situation across the United States and give details on Nebraska.

 

Speaker Bio: Wm. Jeff Kahrs was appointed Regional Director of Region 7 of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in November 2017. As a presidential appointee, Kahrs provides executive leadership as the primary representative for the Secretary of Health and Human Services. In this role, Kahrs oversees HHS activities in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, and represents the department in its work with nine federally recognized tribes. Read more about the speaker here.