There were 86 deaths, compared with 89 for the first three months of 2017, but more people died from fentanyl, the powerful synthetic painkiller, than in years past.
opioid epidemic
Posted inMaine, News
Portland doctor on front lines of heroin crisis publishes poetry book
Dr. Mary Dowd says poems are born of grief, a feeling she knows well as a caregiver for hundreds of Mainers who struggle with addiction.
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Posted inElection 2018, Elections, Maine, News, Politics
Solutions to opioid crisis separate candidates for Maine governor
Democrats and Republicans differ over Medicaid expansion to provide more treatment and on the need for more law enforcement.
Posted inMaine, News
Bangor doctor testifies at Senate hearing on opioid epidemic’s impact on the elderly
Many with chronic pain have been on prescription painkillers at relatively high doses, putting them at risk of health problems and making them vulnerable to exploitation, says Dr. Charles Pattavina of St. Joseph Hospital.
Posted inNation & World
Drugs and detention: A revolving door of despair
In America, particularly in Appalachia, addiction is landing more women behind bars.
Posted inBusiness, Maine, News
Citing Portland’s opioid lawsuit, hospitals withdraw from groups seeking to treat addiction
The parent of Mercy and EMMC is unhappy that the lawsuit partially blames one of its former doctors for the opioid crisis.
Posted inMaine
Maine woman overdoses in hot car with her child in the back seat
Sara Donlon was found by first responders passed out in her car in Manchester, New Hampshire, with her 4-year-old son in the back seat, police say.
Posted inMaine Voices, Op-Eds, Opinion
Maine Voices: We must demand that legislators fund care for those with substance use disorder
Public health interventions save lives, but more friends and family will die if we don’t pay for them now.
Posted inMaine Voices, Op-Eds, Opinion
Maine Voices: Realistically? Maine’s fatal overdoses will increase this year
Alleged funding for opioid addiction treatment turns out to be a myth – and the annual death spiral is likely to continue.
Posted inMaine, News, Politics
Gov. LePage vetoes bill to increase access to overdose-reversing drug
The plan, which he says usurps the authority of pharmacists by removing age limits on purchases of naloxone without a prescription, now goes back to the Legislature for override votes.