opioid crisis

Nine-year-old Gabriella Santamaria holds up a picture of her uncle Stephen who died from a heroin overdose during a 2017 candlelight vigil for victims of drug addiction in Staten Island.

Opioid Deaths May Be Starting To Plateau, HHS Chief Says

7:47am October 24, 2018

by Emily Sullivan

Overdose deaths started to level off near the end of 2017 and are "finally bending in the right direction," says Alex Azar, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, citing early data.

Paramedic Larrecsa Cox (center) and her quick-response team, including police Officer Stephanie Coffey (left) and Pastor Virgil Johnson (right), check in at the home in Huntington, W.Va., of someone who was revived a few days before from an overdose.

Knocking On Doors To Get Opioid Overdose Survivors Into Treatment

7:22am October 24, 2018

by Sarah McCammon

Within days of an OD from opioids or other drugs, users in Huntington, W.Va., are visited by a quick-response team at home, the hospital or in jail. Reversing an OD is just recovery's first step.

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Some sixty "Opiod Overdose Kits" have been added defibrillator boxes in Bridgewater State University dorms and academic buildings like this one.

On College Campuses, Making Overdose Medication Readily Available

10:36pm October 22, 2018

by Tovia Smith

College campuses are growing increasingly concerned about how to keep students safe amid a national opioid crisis. Some schools provide free and easy access to drugs that can reverse an overdose.

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Thirty-year-old Madelyn Linsenmeir, pictured on one of her routine walks with son Ayden. "Her addiction didn't define her, but it did define the way she lived," Linsenmeir's sister, Kate O'Neill, wrote in an obituary that moved readers nationwide this wee

The Viral Obituary Of An Opioid Addict: 'She's Just One Face' Of The Epidemic

9:42pm October 20, 2018

by Emma Bowman

An obit for a young mother who died after struggling with addiction gained national attention this week. Her sister wants to remind readers: "So many people with addiction don't resemble the photo."

Health & Safety

Governor Cooper Signs Executive Order For Opioid Grants

4:53pm August 01, 2018

by Bethany Chafin

North Carolina will apply for $25 million in federal grants to combat the opioid crisis.

An arrangement of pills of the opioid oxycodone-acetaminophen, also known as Percocet, in New York. A new report finds a link between workforce participation and the prescription rate of opioids in the U.S.

How The Opioid Crisis Is Depressing America's Labor Force

5:51pm June 18, 2018

by Samantha Raphelson

The U.S. lags behind other countries in workforce participation because more opioids are prescribed in this country, says a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

A volunteer cleans up needles used for drug injection that were found at a homeless encampment in Everett, Wash., in November. Respondents in a Federal Reserve survey who knew someone who had been addicted to opioids were less likely to give the economy a

Opioid Crisis Takes A Toll On Economic Outlook For Many Americans, Fed Says

6:25pm May 23, 2018

by Charlotte Norsworthy

One out of five Americans say they personally know someone who has been addicted to opioids or prescription painkillers, according to a new report about the economic well-being of U.S. households.

Health & Safety

Have You Been Affected By Opioids? Tell Us Your Story

1:56pm May 07, 2018

by Laura Roman

NPR is seeking to speak with those who have been impacted by the nation's opioid crisis. If you feel comfortable, please share your story with us.

Prince performs in 2009 at the Grand Palais in Paris. He died in 2016.

Music & Culture

Prince's Family Files Wrongful Death Suit Against Hospital, Pharmacy Chain

1:09pm April 24, 2018

by Scott Neuman

The pop superstar was treated for an overdose a week before his death. The suit contends that the hospital failed to realize the drug he was taking was a deadly counterfeit.

Arlington, Mass., Police Chief Fred Ryan (right) and Inspector Gina Bassett review toxicology reports on cocaine evidence looking for the possibility of fentanyl.

Fentanyl-Laced Cocaine Becoming A Deadly Problem Among Drug Users

11:05am March 29, 2018

by Martha Bebinger

The powerful opioid fentanyl is showing up in batches of cocaine, threatening a new wave of opioid overdoses. Some doctors, drug users and law enforcement wonder if the contamination is deliberate.

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