This story is part of a series called In Recovery , about opioid addiction and treatment in the San Joaquin Valley. It was reported with the support of a 2018 Data Fellowship from the USC Center For Health Journalism . Charlie Huddleson has always been a religious man, but it …
Read More »Three Fentanyl Overdoses In One Day Raise Opioid Concerns In Fresno County
Law enforcement and health professionals in Fresno are reeling after three people overdosed last week on the opioid drug fentanyl. The men snorted what they thought was cocaine, said Fresno Deputy Police Chief Pat Farmer in a press conference on Monday. The three men, who took the drug together on …
Read More »Kern County’s Opioid Users Lack Access To Much Needed Treatment
The sun is fading on a Wednesday night and people are trickling quietly into an office behind an unassuming parking lot in Northern Bakersfield. Inside, bright yellow chairs and plastic flamingoes lean against turquoise walls and Tom Petty’s on the radio. A chipper administrative assistant named Mary Lora greets people …
Read More »Thousands have died of opioid overdoses. Merced joins lawsuit against drug makers
Merced County is one of 30 California counties suing opioid makers and distributors in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, according to the law firm handling the case. Dallas-based Baron & … Click to Continue »
Read More »How Bad Is the Valley’s Opioid Epidemic? Bad Enough To Worry Health Officials
Recently, you may have heard a startling statistic: drug overdoses now kill more Americans than car accidents. For some years, the same holds true here in the San Joaquin Valley. The lion’s share of those overdoses are from opioids—street drugs and heavy-duty painkillers either derived from opium or made in …
Read More »Treat, Educate And Revive: The Valley’s Three-Pronged Approach To Opioid Overdose Prevention
Host intro: Last week, we brought you a story about the San Joaquin Valley’s opioid epidemic, which manifests in inordinately high rates of painkiller prescriptions and hundreds of overdose deaths every year. This week, we explore three strategies that health officials and advocates are using to take aim at the …
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