The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that Every day, more than 130 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the total "economic burden" of prescription opioid misuse alone in the United States is $78.5 billion a year, including the costs of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement.
And frankly, the problem is only getting worse. Opioid overdoses increased 30 percent from July 2016 through September 2017 in 52 areas in 45 states.
This is a national health care emergency – and a national tragedy.
So what’s being done about it? Today on the show we’ll be exploring the personal impacts of opioid and drug addiction… The tolls on families… And what states and cities are doing to address this is issue as the healthcare crisis that it is.
Guests on this episode include:
Abby Goodnough, New York Times Reporter, author of “This City’s Overdose Deaths Have Plunged. Can Others Learn From It?”
Dr. Shelly Choo, the Senior Medical Advisor for the Baltimore City Health Department.
Dr. Sam Snodgrass, member of the Board of Directors of Broken No More, a national non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science-based treatment for addictive disorders. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of GRASP (Grief recovery After a Substance Passing).
Sam Quinones, journalist, storyteller, former LA Times reporter, and author of three acclaimed books of narrative nonfiction. His most recent book is Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic.
