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Racial disparities in Allegheny County’s fatal drug overdose rates got worse last year. Now Black residents are more than twice as likely as whites to die. Data suggests the death rate for both races is being driven–at least in part–by cocaine laced with fentanyl, a strong and deadly opioid.
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On today’s episode of The Confluence: Allegheny County reported 719 deaths due to a drug overdose in 2021, an increase from the previous year; the state established a database of police personnel records, but an investigation found the tool has created little accountability due to loopholes and a lack of enforcement; and we hear from a paddler and coach with a local dragon boat team. Today’s guests include: Maisha Howze, assistant deputy director for the Allegheny County Department of Human Services Office of Behavioral Health; Danielle Ohl, investigative reporter with Spotlight PA; and Naomi Herman, a member of two local dragon boat teams and Bob Randolph, the Steel City Dragons’ head coach and board chair.
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A recent research paper published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that deadly drug overdose rates in American adolescents nearly doubled from 2019 to 2020, and the study’s authors appear to link the rise in fatalities to the contamination of the illicit drug supply.
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Long before the coronavirus jumped from an animal to a human to start the global pandemic, western Pennsylvania was already grappling with another health…
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The year a person is born strongly predicts how likely they are to fatally overdose, according to a new study from University of Pittsburgh.Researchers…
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A second man has been indicted in relation to the rash of drug overdoses that occurred earlier this week in the Pittsburgh area.There was a total of eight…
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An Allegheny Health Network chemist is developing a longer-lasting version of naloxone, to stop people from slipping back into overdose.Naloxone is the…
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Pittsburghers can now get free stickers, buttons and window decals that say, “We have Narcan in case of emergency.”Narcan is the brand name for naloxone,…
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Over the last few years, Melody Ray has fielded many calls seeking advice on how to talk to kids about addiction and overdose. With the rise of drug…