Gov. Matt Bevin announced last week the latest tool in the state’s fight against the opioid crisis.

The online search engine is part of the governor’s “Don’t Let Them Die” campaign, that raises awareness about the opioid crisis. FindHelpNowKY.org allows people to search for local substance abuse treatment options.

With this tool, individuals looking for help or families seeking to connect their loved ones with treatment can get real-time results about the options in their area.

The site allows visitors to search for themselves, a friend or loved one or even a patient or client. Searches can be done based on location, type of treatment (residential, detox, inpatient, medication assisted and more) and even based on type of payment available (insurance, self-pay, payment plan, free, etc.). There are even options to establish if you are pregnant, a juvenile or identify as LGBTQ.

A quick search for a female living in Winchester with no other specified identifiers offered 271 potential facilities to seek treatment Monday afternoon, some right here in Clark County (Bluegrass.org or Kentucky Addiction Centers) and other in surrounding counties (Pathways in Mount Sterling or The Ridge in Lexington). The results yielded dedicated treatment centers, family counseling services, individual counseling, psychiatry practices and many others.

There was even an option to connect with agencies distributing Narcan and facilitating needle exchange.

This tool is not just for those struggling with addiction or substance abuse. It has the potential to be a powerful tool for families, community agencies and others seeking to help people. For those who don’t know where to turn, this site consolidates thousands of treatment options and others that can help.

This locator not only connects people with treatment providers, it informs those seeking help of treatment openings across the Commonwealth, whether that be community mental health centers; private, non-profit and faith-based treatment provide or providers of medication assisted treatment.

Substance abuse disorder providers can add their information to the site by emailing info@findhelpnowky.org, which means the tool will continue to grow to connect people seeking help with the right treatment options.

For anyone seeking to battle their substance abuse disorder, finding help might seem like the biggest hurdle. But locating the appropriate treatment provider or facility will be the first step. Many people don’t know there are so many options for people seeking treatment.

And for those families members who feel they must sit idly by and watch their loved ones suffer with addiction, this tool will finally give them the power to find help, and find it now.

Time is of the essence in these circumstances, so the ability to connect with so many treatment options quickly and efficiently could mean the difference between life and death.

Now that the site is established the onus is on everyone — from the general public to the governor’s office and between — to spread the word, use the tool and save lives.