opioid addiction

After dozens of health care workers were charged with illegally prescribing opioids in Appalachia, local health agencies are trying to make sure chronic pain patients don't fall through the cracks.

A Philadelphia group hopes to open a site for people to use drugs under medical supervision. Faced with legal challenges, the group is making a moral and religious case for its proposed facility.

While opioids get all the attention, rural communities struggle with substances like meth and alcohol too. One clinic is building up capacity to treat all of them, using both medicine and counseling.

A rural county in Washington declared the opioid epidemic a life-threatening emergency. They use a multi-agency coordination group straight out of FEMA's playbook to respond to the crisis.

A standoff is heating up between the Trump administration and local leaders who are trying to open facilities where people can use opioids under the eye of medical staff.