Last year in the United States, opioid overdoses were responsible for some 80,000 deaths, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). With roots that stretch back to the 1990s, the opioid epidemic is much bigger than any one health system in any one state. However, Alabama has led the country in opioid dispensing for over a decade, so health systems in our state do have an opportunity to make a big impact.