Opioids

Missouri Network for Opiate Reform and Recovery Executive Director stands beside the nonprofit's mobile outreach van. The decal on the back window represents the molecule naloxone, a chemical that can reverse and overdose.

St. Louis Group Uses Retired Ambulance To Fight Addiction On The Street

Sarah Fentem

A St. Louis nonprofit is sending outreach workers to city streets to dispense life-saving treatment from a newly refurbished ambulance.The Missouri…

David Patterson Silver Wolf is an associate professor at the Brown School at Washington University. He's also chief research officer at the institution's newly launched Community Academic Partnership on Addiction.

Health, Science & Environment

'Different Face' Of Addiction Has Led To 'Long Overdue' Shift From Criminal Justice To Public Health

Evie Hemphill

When David Patterson Silver Wolf refers to the U.S. opioid epidemic as part of a “disease of despair” and “a tough disease to treat,” he’s speaking from…

An activist campaign calls on city officials to shut down St. Louis' medium-security jail, commonly known as the Workhouse.

Government, Politics & Issues

St. Louis Workhouse inmate died of fentanyl overdose, autopsy shows

Ashley Lisenby

The inmate who died at St. Louis' Medium Security Institution (MSI) in August died of an accidental fentanyl overdose, the autopsy report shows.Louis L.…

Health, Science & Environment

Missouri governor calls for 'long-overdue' drug-monitoring database to curb opioid abuse

Sarah Fentem

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson thinks the state is “long overdue” for a statewide prescription-monitoring database for doctors.Parson, a Republican, said…

A radiologic technologist clears a trauma bay at St. Louis University Hospital's emergency room.

Health, Science & Environment

Missouri doctors urge new limits on prescribing opioids in hospitals

Sarah Fentem

A coalition of six medical organizations has recommended that hospital doctors take more caution when prescribing opioids for patients with pain.To cut…

Sickle cell specialist Donna McCurry encourages her patients to use alternative pain management strategies to reduce opioid use.

As The Opioid Backlash Grows, Sickle Cell Patients Fear They'll Lose Critical Pain Treatment

Alex Smith

Long before Eric Kirkwood of Kansas City, Kansas, had his first sickle cell crisis at age 17, he knew about the pain caused by the disease. His uncle...

Health, Science & Environment

St. Louis-area police to collect old medications — no questions asked

Shahla Farzan

Residents of the St. Louis region will be able to discard unwanted and expired prescription drugs at dozens of local police departments this Saturday.The…

Michelle Pattengill, a technician at L&S Pharmacy in Charleston, Mo., holds a bottle of oxycodone, a prescription opioid.

Health, Science & Environment

Sarah Fentem

The number of opioid-overdose deaths in St. Louis and surrounding counties continued to rise in 2017, although the increase wasn’t as steep as in previous…

Brandon Costerison, Kathi Arbini and Jeff Lowe discuss the opioid epidemic in St. Louis.

Health, Science & Environment

NCADA efforts, lawsuit tied to helping curb growing number of opioid-related deaths

Alex Heuer

Recently released numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more than 60,000 people died in the United States in 2016 due to a…

Cody Goodwin sits down for a session with his counselor, Mary Bitterman, at a ReDiscover clinic in Kansas City.

Shortage of Drug Counselors Leaves Many Opioid-Addicted People Waiting To Get Treatment

Alex Smith

When Cody Goodwin, of Independence, Missouri, was 24, he had already been hooked on opioids, including heroin, for years. His sister decided jail was...