Throughout October 2017, PBS NewsHour is running a series of broadcast and online reporting called AMERICA ADDICTED, exploring the nation's opioid crisis, what's driving it, and effective strategies for combatting it.You can watch PBS Newshour Monday through Friday at 7:00pm on WSKG TV and listen Monday through Friday on WSQX Radio at 9:00pm.
Community on the Edge In Huntington, WVa we see how the opioid crisis has left its mark on one small town, producing everything from first responder burnout and overwhelmed foster care systems to clogged sewage systems and overdose rates that have caught national attention. Rehab High Part of combating the opioid epidemic is getting to potential addicts before they start a lifelong habit. Hope Academy in Indianapolis aims to do just that. It is a small high school that caters to teenagers who are trying to stay clean.Fatal Fentanyl Fentanyl a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin is the current wave in the opioid epidemic. We look at how the drug works, how it comes into the U.S. and what is being done on the ground to deal with it. Window into Addiction Treatment We go to Rhode Island and look at the options for treatment and the growing movement toward peer supported recovery.Best Practices For years, New Mexico has been at the nexus of its own opioid crisis and has been at the forefront of developing innovative solutions to combat that problem. However, while they have seen improvements, Rio Arriba county remains one of the nation’s hotspots for opioid overdoses and deaths.How to Treat Chronic Pain Without Opioids How doctors and health systems are trying to reduce the number of prescriptions while also effectively managing chronic pain.Engineering Alternatives to Opioids NewsHour Science Correspondent Miles O'Brien looks at innovative ways to treat pain options, including implanting small electronics into a patient’s cheek and alternative treatment approaches.Poems on the Opioid Crisis NewsHour Chief Correspondent for Arts, Culture and Society Jeff Brown talks to William Brewer who has written a series of poems exploring the opioid epidemic in Appalachia.For the full series of reports be sure to visit the project website.