Jul 2 Health Overdose Incidents Rose Sharply Around Ohio Valley During Pandemic Emergency response data from across the Ohio Valley show sharp increases in suspected drug overdoses since March, when health measures including school and business closures and stay-at-home orders increased social isolation. For public health officials, it’s a grim reminder that another epidemic is ongoing and possibly worsening during the isolation associated with the coronavirus pandemic. […] By Aaron Payne Jul 2 Health Overdose Incidents Rose Sharply Around Ohio Valley During Pandemic Aaron Payne
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
Jan 9 Economy Rural Americans Increasingly Concerned About Opioid Addiction, Study Finds Researchers at Harvard University and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that rural Americans identified drug addiction and economic concerns as the most serious problems facing their communities. The open-ended survey of 2700 rural adults aimed to identify the major concerns of rural voters, and found that 25 percent of rural Americans said drug addiction was […] By Sydney Boles Jan 9 Economy Rural Americans Increasingly Concerned About Opioid Addiction, Study Finds Sydney Boles
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
Jun 4 Health Hit Hard By Opioids, West Virginia Hoping Athletics Can Be A Game Changer In Addiction West Virginia officials say the state’s passion for sports can be used to influence young people to learn about opioid use disorder and help prevent the next generation from entering the epidemic. That’s according to the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission, which on Tuesday announced the upcoming WVSSAC-MVB Bank Opioid Awareness Summit. The […] By Aaron Payne Jun 4 Health Hit Hard By Opioids, West Virginia Hoping Athletics Can Be A Game Changer In Addiction Aaron Payne
Apr 3 Health ARC Funds Addiction Treatment For Women In Rural Kentucky And Ohio The Appalachian Regional Commission has awarded more than two million dollars to expand addiction treatment and recovery resources for women in rural regions of the Ohio Valley hit hard by the opioid crisis. Ohio University received $1,100,000 for the Appalachian Recovery Project in Athens County, Ohio. WestCare Kentucky, Inc., received $1,136,000 for the Judi Patton […] By Aaron Payne Apr 3 Health ARC Funds Addiction Treatment For Women In Rural Kentucky And Ohio Aaron Payne
Sep 18 Health Senate Opioids Bill Takes Aim At Fentanyl Imports The U.S. Senate has approved a bipartisan package to address the nation’s opioid crisis with more resources for addiction treatment and recovery and an emphasis on stopping the flow of the the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl. The Senate approved the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 by a 99-1 vote Monday night including a version […] By Aaron Payne Sep 18 Health Senate Opioids Bill Takes Aim At Fentanyl Imports Aaron Payne
Mar 30 Health Exchange of Ideas: How A Rural Kentucky County Overcame Fear To Adopt A Needle Exchange Greg Lee, Kentucky’s HIV/AIDS educator, starts the town hall on a somber note. “How many people in this room know someone who has died of an overdose death?” It is a standing-room only crowd. Most hands go up. “Amazing,” he says, sadly. The meeting is at the Bourbon County Public Health Department, just next to […] By Mary Meehan Mar 30 Health Exchange of Ideas: How A Rural Kentucky County Overcame Fear To Adopt A Needle Exchange Mary Meehan
Mar 20 Health CDC Outlines Plan To Address Ohio Valley’s Opioids Crisis President Donald Trump’s call to implement the death penalty for drug traffickers grabbed headlines Monday. But public health officials within the Trump administration are stressing other elements of the president’s plan to address the opioid crisis. Acting Director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Anne Schuchat, outlined her agency’s plans for the […] By Aaron Payne Mar 20 Health CDC Outlines Plan To Address Ohio Valley’s Opioids Crisis Aaron Payne
Sep 29 Health Opioids On Trial: Can Lawsuits Help Fix The Addiction Crisis? When health care and law enforcement officials met recently at a health policy forum in Lexington, Kentucky, to share ideas about the opioid crisis, Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear listed some groups that have benefited from money won in a 2015 settlement with Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin. “We had Freedom House in Louisville […] By Aaron Payne Sep 29 Health Opioids On Trial: Can Lawsuits Help Fix The Addiction Crisis? Aaron Payne