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This special series from 2015 to 2017 took an in-depth look at the heroin epidemic that spread across West Virginia.
From the story of the addict who could no longer get prescription narcotics on the street, the emergency room physician who cares for overdose patients, and the lawmakers working to reverse the trend – these are the voices and stories of West Virginians impacted by heroin.
Has heroin affected you or someone you know? Share your story here.
Sitting on top of the Bible on Pastor Brad Epperson’s desk at the Clay City First Church of God is a list of goals for his small congregation written in a looping cursive hand. “Our community ought to see the love of God in us, not just by our understanding of a compassionat…
Programs that use medication to treat substance abuse are now more tightly regulated under West Virginia law.The law endorsed by Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and the GOP-led Legislature took effect Friday, June 10.It provides requirements for licensure, …
Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and Senator Joe Manchin join President Obama at the National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit in Atlanta, Georgia Tuesday. According to a press release, Obama will announce Administrative actions to further the fight against the drug epidemic.Th…
Community members met in Ohio County this week to talk about developing a program that would allow non-professionals to administer life-saving drugs to someone overdosing on pain pills or heroin. A similar program began in the Eastern Panhandle in September, and organizers rep…
Seventy people in Cabell County died in 2015 of drug overdoses.WSAZ-TV reports that the numbers were tallied by the city of Huntington’s Office of Drug Control Policy. The office found that …
West Virginia has the highest rate of youth drug overdose deaths in the country, according to a new national report.The study, produced by the non-pro…
With President Obama’s visit to Charleston just two short weeks ago, people and organizations across the state have responded to the President’s call to fight drugs and overdose deaths in West Virginia.On Wednesday, Governor Tomblin continues this fight and travels …
In West Virginia, the number of heroin overdoses has increased almost five-fold since 2010. So today, President Obama will visit West Virginia to …
U.S. District Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, just announced the launch of an organized effort to combat addiction problems in Marion, Monongalia and Harrison counties: an Addiction Action Plan. It’s an extension of an initiative that began in the Northern Panhandle late …
A much anticipated alternative for addiction recovery is now a reality in southern West Virginia. The Four Seasons Recovery Center in Mercer County is…
In the world of medication-assisted substance abuse treatment, there are three prescription drugs that are the most widely known: methadone, Suboxone and Vivitrol.Traditional Opioid AgonistsMethadone and Suboxone have been the m…
Despite taking many steps to prevent injuries, West Virginia ranks highest for the number of injury-related deaths in the United States. That’s according to a new report published this week that looks state-by-state at injury prevention policy.Many of the injury-relat…
West Virginia has the nation's worst rate of drug overdose deaths. It started with prescription painkillers, and now is increasingly fueled by heroin.On…
A panel of law enforcement, health and substance abuse specialists will discuss what's next in West Virginia's fight against substance abuse at the West…
While law enforcement officials, lawmakers and medical professionals are all scrambling to find solutions to West Virginia’s heroin epidemic, EMTs and paramedics across the state are receiving calls almost daily, rushing to the homes of those who’ve made it to the very edg…
In some counties in the state, deaths from heroin overdoses have tripled in the past three years, drawing the attention of both lawmakers and law…
While other parts of the state are seeing a rapid increase in heroin overdoses, southern West Virginia continues to battle a prescription pill problem. As access to addiction treatment in the state’s larger cities like Charleston and Huntington grows, rural parts of West Vir…
Drug courts are becoming a more and more popular option for judges dealing with minor drug offenders in West Virginia. Instead of being incarcerated,…
As law enforcement officials are increasingly turning their attention to the growing problem with heroin in West Virginia, many of them have strong…
A law that goes into effect on May 27 allows police officers and those close to addicts to carry the opioid overdose antidote drug Naloxone. While law enforcement officials generally agree that it’s a good idea to carry the drug, there are some questions about safety, traini…
As Republican lawmakers prepared to take the helm of both the state House of Delegates and Senate for the first time in more than 80 years this…
A bill aiming to stave off West Virginia's problems with heroin and prescription opioid overdose deaths goes into effect Wednesday. The Opioid Antagonist…
Derek Harman practices family medicine in Logan County, but he's also been an emergency room physician. He got his medical degree in 2008 from the School…
As the stories airing this week on West Virginia Morning illustrate, West Virginia is in the midst of a heroin epidemic. According to the state Department of Health and Human Resources’ Drug Overdose Database, heroin has claimed the lives of more than 6…
The opium poppy is a source of beauty in gardens and fields all over the country and the world. But it’s also a source of pain relief and when abused, death. In recent years death tolls from heroin, a derivative of the poppy, have tripled nationwide, and the numbers ar…
If you’ve been paying attention to our news output here at West Virginia Public Broadcasting as of late, you’ve probably noticed an increased focus on data and digital journalism. Sure, we tell stories on the radio, but emerging technology and innovations hav…
Seemingly everyone in West Virginia has been affected by the heroin epidemic in the state. There are addicts themselves, family members struggling to find them help, the doctors, nurses and paramedics on the front lines trying to save lives and lawmakers and law en…
