Nov 29 Health CDC Data Show Ohio Valley Still Has Nation’s Highest Overdose Death Rates New federal data show the Ohio Valley again led the nation in rates of fatal drug overdoses last year. The data confirm what local officials have reported: Synthetic opioids are fueling the increase. West Virginia had the nation’s highest rate of fatal drug overdoses in 2017 with 57.8 deaths per 100,000 people. Ohio had the […] By Aaron Payne Nov 29 Health CDC Data Show Ohio Valley Still Has Nation’s Highest Overdose Death Rates Aaron Payne
Sep 27 Health New Ohio Data Show Sharp Increase In Overdose Deaths From The Opioid Fentanyl New official state data from the Ohio Department of Health show 4,854 people died of drug overdoses in 2017, a 20 percent increase from the previous year. The new data add to evidence from around the Ohio Valley showing deaths related to the opioid crisis continued to rise in 2017 as state records begin to […] By Aaron Payne Sep 27 Health New Ohio Data Show Sharp Increase In Overdose Deaths From The Opioid Fentanyl Aaron Payne
Jul 27 Health Ohio Valley Overdose Deaths Continue Grim Rise As Data Reflect Fentanyl’s Role Health officials in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia say the number of overdose deaths related to the opioid crisis continued to rise in 2017 as state data began to reflect the fatalities related to the powerful drug fentanyl. A new report from the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy found 1,565 died from drug overdoses […] By Aaron Payne Jul 27 Health Ohio Valley Overdose Deaths Continue Grim Rise As Data Reflect Fentanyl’s Role Aaron Payne
Apr 10 Health Surgeon General Supports Needle Exchanges To Limit Disease From Opioid Crisis U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams threw his support behind syringe exchange services as an important tool to address the Ohio Valley’s high risk of needle-borne disease associated with the opioid epidemic. Adams visited Florence, in northern Kentucky, for an event to encourage more people to get trained to administer the overdose-reversal drug naloxone. Dressed in […] By Mary Meehan Apr 10 Health Surgeon General Supports Needle Exchanges To Limit Disease From Opioid Crisis 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
Feb 16 Health Painful Lessons: Using Data On Overdose Deaths To Combat Opioid Crisis The Ohio Valley’s numbers on the opioid crisis are grim, especially so in West Virginia, which has the nation’s highest rate of overdose deaths. But those numbers could give health workers the ability to identify people at risk of drug overdose and then reach them before they die. That’s what researchers from the West Virginia […] By Aaron Payne Feb 16 Health Painful Lessons: Using Data On Overdose Deaths To Combat Opioid Crisis Aaron Payne
Aug 4 Health Data Fix: Cities Seek Better Information On Opioid Epidemic Paramedics and police are already in the hotel room when Kyle Simpson walks in. “What happened?” he asks. A 37-year-old man in the room is barely conscious–just revived by the overdose reversal medication NARCAN. Law enforcement officers survey the scene. They’ve found more heroin “rocks” on a table. One officer interviews a crying woman who […] By Aaron Payne Aug 4 Health Data Fix: Cities Seek Better Information On Opioid Epidemic Aaron Payne
Oct 7 Health Lazarus Drug: The Medicine Saving Lives Amid The Opioid Crisis The sound of sirens in Cabell County, West Virginia, has a good chance of indicating an overdose these days. The county’s Emergency Medical Service had responded to 622 overdose calls this year as of September 24, according to ES Director Gordon Merry. Last year it was more than 900 overdoses, which surpassed the total of […] By Aaron Payne Oct 7 Health Lazarus Drug: The Medicine Saving Lives Amid The Opioid Crisis Aaron Payne
Jul 15 Health Pot Vs. Pills: Can Marijuana Help Cure The Opiate Crisis? As the opioid epidemic continues to plague the Ohio Valley with addiction and death, the search for safer methods of pain management has become increasingly urgent. Advocates for medical marijuana have recently made inroads in the area with growing scientific evidence that the substance currently considered of no medical value by the federal government might […] By Aaron Payne Jul 15 Health Pot Vs. Pills: Can Marijuana Help Cure The Opiate Crisis? Aaron Payne