Trump Administration To Declare Opioid Crisis a Public Health Emergency

NPR - The Trump administration will declare a "public health emergency" to address the opioid epidemic Thursday, freeing up some resources for treatment. President Trump will also likely  "direct agency and department heads to use all appropriate emergency authorities to reduce number of deaths caused by the...

BREAKING: Trump to Declare Opioid Crisis a ‘Public Health Emergency’

The New York Times - "President Trump is expected to announce  he is directing his Department of Health and Human Services to declare the opioid crisis a public health emergency, senior administration officials said, a move that would free up some federal money and ease certain laws and regulations to address a rapidly escalating epidemic of drug use in the United States."

Mass Unveils First-In-The-Nation Principles for Social Work Education

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker's administration unveiled "first-in-the-nation" principles for social work education programs. “Almost every front line social worker will engage with a client struggling with substance use disorder or a family with a loved one struggling over the course of their career. They must be equipped with the best clinical tools to help clients navigate a path to treatment and recovery,” HHS Secretary Marylou Sudders said of the new requirements. 

Oral Surgeon Fights to Change Prescribing Practices After losing son to Opioids

“'People from all walks of life — blacks and whites, yellow and brown like me — have had problems' with opioids...'It has nothing to do with where you live, or where you came from. You could be the president. You could be the son of a doctor.'" Dr. Omar Abubaker, oral surgeon and chair of Virginia Commonwealth University's dental program, is fighting to change the way his students and colleagues approach pain management and addiction.

Music Superstar Ed Sheeran Discusses His Battle with Substance Abuse

Grammy-winner Ed Sheeran opened up about his struggle with substance abuse for the first time on a recent appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show. "It all starts off as a party," Sheeran said.

MAP: The States with the most Opioid-related ED visits

New data compiled by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Advisory Board Company show a 99.4% increase in opioid-related ED visits between 2005 and 2014. Massachusetts posted the "highest rate of opioid-related ED visits, with 450.2 per 100,000 residents in 2014, while Maryland came in at a...

The Bronx’s Quiet, Brutal War with Opioids

New York Times -  "In the Bronx, which lost more residents to drug overdoses last year than any other New York City borough, the heroin epidemic has latched on to a vulnerable population." Jose A. Delreal gives inside look at the community's fight against addiction and the "social forces that have left some Bronx residents especially vulnerable: a history of high drug use in the area; a growing supply of cheap heroin on the streets; and the proliferation of a deadly synthetic opioid, fentanyl."

JAMA Reports: Opioid-related Mortality More than Tripled Since 2000

In a recent letter to the Journal of American Medical Association, researchers report "drug poisoning mortality more than doubled in the United States from 2000 to 2015," while "poisoning mortality involving opioids more than tripled." 

VIDEO: Historic Cape Cod Town Experiencing Staggering Toll

NBC Nightly News continues its coverage of the opioid epidemic's devastating toll on our children with this new feature on the struggles of the students, teachers and parents at one Massachusetts elementary school.  ...

Arizona State Students Present Documentaries on the State of the Epidemic in AZ

Students and faculty at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism presented 2 documentaries, ‘Hooked: Tracking Heroin’s Hold on Arizona’ and ‘Hooked RX: From Prescription to Addiction' highlighting the state of the opioid epidemic in Arizona at a recent community event in Tuscon.