In the News
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thehill.com: We can’t cure the opioid epidemic if it’s not treated as a health crisis
Posted 6/29/2017
We’re living with a virus-like disease sweeping our nation. Nearly every community is affected. The rates of death rise year after year. Between 1990 and 2015, the percentages of death more than quadrupled. We lost more people than the population of Pittsburgh.
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cnn.com: An EMT's view from the front lines of America's heroin crisis
Posted 6/29/2017
Driving through the streets of Huntington, West Virginia, with Gordon Merry is a stark reminder of what heroin is doing to American communities.
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businessinsider.com: The Senate healthcare bill mentions the opioid crisis only once — but its effects could be devastating
Posted 6/29/2017
The bill contained only one mention of the ongoing opioid crisis: It appropriates $2 billion for fiscal year 2018 for the secretary of Health and Human Services "to provide grants to states to support substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services for individuals with mental or substance use disorders."
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tworivertimes.com: OPIOIDS – THE SCOURGE OF THE COMMUNITY
Posted 6/27/2017
MIDDLETOWN — “We know how important addressing this epidemic is,” said Mary Ann Christopher, senior executive for clinical affairs for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, referring to the opioid/heroin abuse plaguing all communities in Monmouth County and the state.
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hudsonreporter.com: Danger lurks in every corner
Posted 6/27/2017
Drug tests may have a place in law enforcement, but for most practical purposes, their effectiveness is limited at best. That was one of the problems raised at a seminar on June 7 that brought together leaders in various fields dealing with the spread of illicit drugs.
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statnews.com: 51 percent of opioid prescriptions go to people with depression and other mood disorders
Posted 6/27/2017
More than half of all opioid prescriptions in the United States are written for people with anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders, according to a new study that questions how pain is treated in this vulnerable population.
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statnews.com: STAT forecast: Opioids could kill nearly 500,000 Americans in the next decade
Posted 6/27/2017
Opioids could kill nearly half a million people across America over the next decade as the crisis of addiction and overdose accelerates.
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northjersey.com: Editorial: Taking the opioid fight to the courts
Posted 6/27/2017
The deadly opioid crisis that’s gripped New Jersey and the nation has many manifestations, and many causes. Treatment and prevention of the scourge have become an everyday part of the political lexicon, and a focus for Gov. Chris Christie during his final months in office.
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nj.com: N.J. joins multi-state probe of drugmakers over opioids, report says
Posted 6/23/2017
TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie's administration has joined a multi-state investigation into the pharmaceutical industry for the role it may have played in America's opioid abuse crisis, according to a report by The Record.
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marketwatch.com: Tiger Woods DUI: Prescription drugs are a growing threat to safety on American roads
Posted 6/22/2017
The number of drivers involved in fatal car crashes testing positive for drugs has nearly doubled in 10 years