Health & Safety

A street medic patch marks a first aid kit at a UMedics workshop in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood. The group trains everyday people to care for shooting victims, control a chaotic scene and talk to cops and paramedics.

Local Medics Train Chicago Residents To Help Shooting Victims

8:14am October 27, 2017

by Shannon Heffernan

The Chicago group UMedics trains people how to handle medical emergencies, including gunshot wounds. One trainee is a gunshot victim who credits the program with saving his life.

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Trump Declares Opioid Crisis A Public Health Emergency

11:46pm October 26, 2017

by Tamara Keith

Today, President Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency. What difference will that make in the effort to fight the problem?

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Addiction Prevention Advocate On Trump's Public Health Emergency Declaration

11:46pm October 26, 2017

Gary Mendell lost his son to addiction in 2011, and went on to form the group Shatterproof, which advocates for better prevention and treatment for addiction. He was at the White House today to hear President Trump's announcement designating the nation's opioid crisis a public health emergency, and he shares his reactions with NPR's Robert Siegel.

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Pharmaceutical Founder Arrested In Alleged Nationwide Opioid Scheme

7:01pm October 26, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

John Kapoor, who co-founded Insys Therapeutics, has been charged with racketeering and fraud for allegedly bribing doctors to overprescribe the company's powerful opioid spray.

An Afghan amputee lifts weights at the International Committee of the Red Cross facility for war victims and the disabled in Mazar-i-Sharif. In September, a patient shot and killed a staffer, closing the center for a month and contributing to a decision t

Health & Safety

Red Cross To Scale Back In Afghanistan

6:57pm October 26, 2017

by Sasha Ingber

The group has operated in the country for 30 years. The decision comes after an unprecedented attack on a physiotherapist in September.

A man checks out an anti-overdose kit he was given at a clinic. With America confronting an opioid epidemic, Walgreens says it will stock naloxone spray at all of its pharmacies.

Narcan Opioid Overdose Spray Is Now Stocked By All Walgreens Pharmacies

5:43pm October 26, 2017

by Bill Chappell

Letting people get the medicine "without an individual prescription in 45 states is critical in combating this crisis," says the CEO of Narcan maker Adapt Pharma.

Health & Safety

Wake Up, Sleepy Ikea Shoppers!

3:47pm October 26, 2017

by Yuhan Xu

In China, customers like to take naps on the sofas and beds. Ikea is trying to stop that. So is a Chinese comic — who this month posted videos in which he awakened the nappers.

Despite increased access to overdose rescue kits containing opioid antidotes like naloxone, Pittsburgh paramedic James Dlutowski says the government should focus efforts on funding for addiction treatment.

'They Need Help': Trump Faces Backlash For Slow Response To Opioid Crisis

3:24pm October 26, 2017

by Samantha Raphelson

A paramedic in Pittsburgh says he and his team respond to opioid overdoses "probably at least daily." President Trump declared the crisis a public health emergency on Thursday.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 140 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose.

Trump Administration Declares Opioid Crisis A Public Health Emergency

3:20pm October 26, 2017

by Greg Allen

The move stops short of declaring a national emergency, which the president had pledged to do.

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What Opioid Decision Means To Hard-Hit States Like West Virginia

2:01pm October 26, 2017

The White House will declare a public health emergency, not a national one, to address the crisis. Steve Inskeep talks to Dr. Rahul Gupta, West Virginia's public health commissioner.

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