Opioids

St. Louis County Health Department co-director Spring Schmidt (left) and county executive Sam Page address reporters on Sunday, March 8, 2020, regarding Missouri's presumed first case of the new coronavirus.

Opioid Overdoses Are Killing More Black Men In St. Louis, As Deaths Fall For Others

Sarah Fentem

The number of black men in St. Louis and St. Louis County who died of opioid drug overdoses increased between 2018 and 2019, even as those deaths declined…

Senate Press availability with Dave Schatz, Caleb Rowden, John Rizzo on Thurs. March, 12, 2020.

Government, Politics & Issues

Prescription Drug Monitoring Likely Coming To Missouri, The Last State Without It

Jaclyn Driscoll

Legislation creating a statewide prescription drug monitoring program cleared its last major hurdle on Thursday — passing the Missouri Senate 21-10.The…

The St. Louis County Health Department is distributing free two packs of Narcan nasal spray, which can save people from opioid overdoses.

Health, Science & Environment

St. Louis County To Distribute Overdose Reversal Drug Free Of Charge

Sarah Fentem

The St. Louis County Health Department is distributing free bottles of an overdose antidote to save people addicted to opioids.The department announced…

On State Street in Granite City, there have been 11 crime-free housing violations for different tenants at the apartment complex over five years, from 2014 to 2018, more repeats than any other rental property. Eight of the violations requiring an eviction

Government, Politics & Issues

Granite City Renters Face Eviction Over Drug Overdose 911 Calls During Opioid Epidemic

Editor's note: This story was originally published in the Belleville News-Democrat.GRANITE CITY — A 27-year-old man called 911 to send an ambulance to his…

St. Louis County Council established its own prescription drug monitoring program in 2016 to fill the void left by the absence of an official statewide program. Seventy-five jurisdictions across the state now participate in the program.

Health, Science & Environment

St. Louis County Drug Monitoring Program Continues To Grow Across Missouri

Shahla Farzan

Public health officials in St. Louis are expanding their efforts to reduce opioid addiction statewide.The St. Louis County Department of Public Health…

Saint Louis University School of Medicine recently was taken off probation by the nation's accrediting body.

Health, Science & Environment

SLU School Of Medicine Starts State's First Addiction Medicine Fellowship

Sarah Fentem

St. Louis University is starting a program to train doctors to treat patients with addictions.The university’s school of medicine will operate the state’s…

Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston, at a press conference discussing new legislation that would modernize HIV laws in Missouri on Dec. 11, 2019.

Government, Politics & Issues

Missouri Lawmakers Want To Bring HIV Laws To The 21st Century

Jaclyn Driscoll

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is working to change current Missouri law on HIV that they say hasn’t been updated since the 1980s. Rep. Holly Rehder,…

The opioid prescribing rate in Missouri went up close to 10 percent between 2017 and 2018 within counties participating in the state's drug monitoring program

Health, Science & Environment

Opioid Deaths Hit Peak In St. Louis, With Other Drugs Gaining Ground

Sarah Fentem

Nearly three people a day died of opioid overdoses in St. Louis last year, according to data released by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug…

Health, Science & Environment

Drug Use Likely Behind Steep Rise In ER Visits For St. Louis County Inmates

Sarah Fentem

The Buzz Westfall Justice Center in Clayton is sending twice as many inmates to the hospital for medical emergencies as it did in previous years,…

Health, Science & Environment

Federal Grant Funds Mizzou Internships To Treat Addiction In Underserved Areas

Sarah Fentem

Doctoral students in psychology at the University of Missouri will be able to learn how to better treat and prevent addiction thanks to a $1.2 million…