Feb 7 Health Reports Show Challenges Remain In Addiction Treatment Medication Access Center for Disease Control and Prevention data indicate opioid overdose deaths in the Ohio Valley declined in 2018, the first time in nearly a decade. Researchers say this is cause for optimism. But two new studies warn that access to medication assisted treatment, or MAT, for people with opioid use disorders continues to be a […] By Aaron Payne Feb 7 Health Reports Show Challenges Remain In Addiction Treatment Medication Access Aaron Payne
Dec 31 Economy 2020 Hindsight: The Ohio Valley’s Decade In Data The year: 2009. A Senator from Illinois named Barack Obama has just made history upon taking the presidential oath of office. The national economy is at a low point in the Great Recession. And the Pittsburgh Steelers are the first NFL team to win six Super Bowls. Ten years later, as 2019 gives way to […] By Becca Schimmel Dec 31 Economy 2020 Hindsight: The Ohio Valley’s Decade In Data Becca Schimmel
Dec 20 Health Innovating Recovery: Group Highlights New Approaches To Addiction Crisis After years of leading the nation in overdose death rates, Ohio Valley communities are looking for new ways to deal with the addiction crisis. A national nonprofit organization promotes and partners with programs that do just that. The Addiction Policy Forum celebrated new ideas at events in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia to honor programs […] By Aaron Payne Dec 20 Health Innovating Recovery: Group Highlights New Approaches To Addiction Crisis Aaron Payne
Oct 18 Health How Should Opioid Lawsuit Money Be Spent? Ohio Valley Has No Shortage Of Needs At a town hall event in Logan, Ohio, Kelly Taulbee walks through the steps of an encounter with someone experiencing an opioid overdose. She’s training a group to use NARCAN, the opioid reversal medication. She pulled out the small applicator and demonstrated how easy it is to spray the medication in someone’s nose. As the […] By Aaron Payne Oct 18 Health How Should Opioid Lawsuit Money Be Spent? Ohio Valley Has No Shortage Of Needs Aaron Payne
Aug 16 Health HIV Infection “Clusters” Put Focus On Harm Reduction Programs Health officials in Huntington, West Virginia, say a cluster of HIV infections has grown to 71 confirmed cases. That’s in a city that usually sees about eight HIV infections in a year. As with an earlier such cluster in northern Kentucky, officials say the primary cause of infection is needle drug use. Health officials say […] By Mary Meehan Aug 16 Health HIV Infection “Clusters” Put Focus On Harm Reduction Programs Mary Meehan
Jul 31 Health ARC Awards Grant To Help Pave Road To Addiction Recovery The Appalachian Regional Commission has awarded a major grant to what it calls an innovative pilot program for a region hit hard by the addiction crisis. The goal is to help people struggling with addiction get on the road to treatment, recovery, and – ultimately – employment. People with substance use disorders can have trouble […] By Aaron Payne Jul 31 Health ARC Awards Grant To Help Pave Road To Addiction Recovery Aaron Payne
Jul 17 Health New Data Show Opioid Deaths May Have Peaked, And Reveal Scale Of Past Pain Pill Sales Two newly released sets of government data show that the death toll from the nation’s opioid crisis may finally be dropping and also reveal the scale of the pain pill sales that help set the crisis in motion. The data for the Ohio Valley show how hard the region was hit and how hard people […] By Aaron Payne Jul 17 Health New Data Show Opioid Deaths May Have Peaked, And Reveal Scale Of Past Pain Pill Sales Aaron Payne
Jul 12 Health New Prescription: Ohio Valley Native Dr. Patrice Harris Is First Black Woman To Lead AMA Dr. Patrice Harris took the oath in June to become the first African-American woman to serve as president of the powerful American Medical Association, the largest professional association for physicians in the United States. Harris also brings another unique perspective to the job as someone who grew up in rural Appalachia. “I was born and […] By Aaron Payne Jul 12 Health New Prescription: Ohio Valley Native Dr. Patrice Harris Is First Black Woman To Lead AMA Aaron Payne
Jun 21 Health “They Are Invisible.” Rural Homelessness, Made Worse By Opioid Crisis, Presents Special Challenges Charles “Country” Bowers takes long, quick strides down a worn dirt path and is soon in front of a thicket of bushes made deep and tall by spring rains. He’s leading me on a tour of camps made by homeless people in wooded corners of Fayette County, Kentucky. He stops and lifts a hand to […] By Mary Meehan Jun 21 Health “They Are Invisible.” Rural Homelessness, Made Worse By Opioid Crisis, Presents Special Challenges Mary Meehan
May 24 Health U.S.-China Official Says Countries Continue Work To Limit Flow Of Fentanyl Officials in the Ohio Valley say recent increases in overdose deaths are largely due to fentanyl, and experts believe most of the powerful synthetic opioid comes from Chinese manufacturers. The Chinese government announced last month it would classify all chemical variations of fentanyl as controlled substances. This closes a loophole that allowed some manufacturers to […] By Aaron Payne May 24 Health U.S.-China Official Says Countries Continue Work To Limit Flow Of Fentanyl Aaron Payne