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Reducing Opioid Overdose Deaths: NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Responses
Let us address the epidemiology of overdose deaths in New York City. Like cities and states around the United States, New York City is in the midst of an opioid overdose epidemic. In 2016, someone died every seven hours of an overdose in New York City, resulting in 1,374 confirmed deaths. More New...
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The Opioid Epidemic: A Consumer’s Point of View
As Gertrude Stein would have said it: addiction is addiction is addiction. This was the central theme of the focus group that got together to talk about the opioid epidemic: the pitfalls, how it all happens, what helps for real, and the power of peer support. We all have our stories. Some of us...
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WellLife Network Provides Vital Services to Stem the Tide of Opioid Addiction
Opium is an extract of the exudate derived from seedpods of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum. Cultivated in the ancient civilizations of Persia, Egypt and Mesopotamia, archaeological evidence and fossilized poppy seeds suggest that Neanderthal man may have used the opium poppy over thirty...
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What Do We Know About Social Workers’ Use of Heroin?
Much has been written lately about the opioid epidemic in the United States. By and large, the vast majority of current opioid users are young, white males who use either heroin or fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid. But these opioid users are not only our clients, or potential clients. They are...
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What’s Hidden in the Hallways: A Look Inside Teenage Opioid Use
Walking through the hallways of any high school in America, you will notice student cliques that have existed for generations. You will find your scholars, your athletes, your artists, your so-called “outcasts,” your musicians, your “popular” kids, and anyone and everyone else that falls...
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Veterans Heroic Battle with the Opioid Epidemic
How can we ever fully thank our veterans for their service? As a group of health care professionals, we have an obligation to provide outstanding clinical care to this heroic population. Every Veterans Day we celebrate the service of all U.S. Military Veterans. We know that this courageous group...
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A System in Transformation
This article is part of a quarterly series giving voice to the perspectives of individuals with lived experiences as they share their opinions on a particular topic. The authors of this column facilitated a focus group of their peers to inform this writing. The authors are served by Services for...
