opioid epidemic

The coronavirus pandemic is overshadowing a separate crisis that was top of our collective mind just a couple months ago: the opioid epidemic. “It’s almost like everything has been stopped in time,” said John Pellicane, Director of the Office of Mental Health and Addiction Awareness Task Force in Camden County, New Jersey. For weeks, a viral invasion has dominated...

Kristen Rivera says people struggling with addiction issues in Camden and Philadelphia “need more help than ever before.” She’s not willing to let the coronavirus stop her from helping them.

Mayor Jim Kenney reiterated his support for supervised injection sites in Philadelphia, and proposed increased funding for anti-opioid abuse programs in the 2020-2021 budget during his annual address. A protester called him a “sneak” repeatedly for the way the city’s first proposed injection site was announced for South Philadelphia.

Mayor Jim Kenney says he is disappointed that an overdose prevention site in South Philadelphia was denied by residents. NBC10’s Stephania Jimenez reports on the harsh words Kenney had for critics of the supervised-injection site.

Philadelphia political leaders are jostling over a proposal to put a safe injection site in Kensington. NBC10 took a trip to Canada’s largest city, Toronto, to see the effects of several injection sites that have been in operation more than a decade.

Operators of the nonprofit planning to open a heroin injection site in South Philadelphia next week are speaking Wednesday morning about their plans for the facility.

The nation’s first supervised injection site will open in South Philadelphia. NBC10’s Aaron Baskerville gets reactions from residents and city leaders.

Philadelphia is the first place in the country to open a supervised injection site. NBC10’s Mitch Blacher tells us all we need to know about the facility in South Philly that will allow drug users to inject opioids.

Next week Philadelphia will make history by opening the nation’s 1st supervised injection site. Drug users will be able to go there to inject and get medical help if they overdose. NBC10’s Steven Fisher gets the opinions of the people who will live and work near the site.

Opening as early as next week, Philadelphia will be getting its first supervised injection site. This site will provide a place for drug users to inject opioids under medical supervision. NBC10’s Denise Nakano speaks with people in the surrounding community about their opinions on the site.

People living in South Philadelphia had no clue that the first supervised injection site would be right in their neighborhood. There will be no handle or selling of the drugs, the users have to bring their own. But they will give clean needles, supervision, and social workers who will be actively offering treatment.

A federal judge entered a final order Tuesday on his ruling last year that a nonprofit’s proposal to open the nation’s first supervised injection site for opioid users in Philadelphia does not violate federal law.

South Philadelphia residents are opposed of a supervised injection site that has been placed in the neighborhood. NBC10 reporter Randy Gyllenhaal reports.

A federal judge paved the way for the nation’s first supervised injection site to come to South Philadelphia. NBC10’s Aaron Baskerville gets reaction from the neighborhood.

Prosecutors say they believe the boy ingested fentanyl and methamphetamine from a cotton ball contaminated during intravenous drug use at the residence

Police said they found multiple medicine bottles around the family’s Bensalem apartment including one in the baby’s swing.

New Jersey will provide $7.8 million to county jails to support opioid addiction treatment for inmates. The funding announced Thursday will also create community partnerships needed to ensure that treatment continues once an inmate is released from jail, officials said, noting that people leaving jails are particularly vulnerable to opioid overdose. “The opioid epidemic has devastated too many families and…

Overdose tracking systems are giving near real-time glimpses into the ravages of the opioid-fueled drug crisis. The Hudson Valley Interlink Analytic System in New York is among a number of surveillance systems being adopted around the country by police, government agencies and community groups.

Every time she got out of jail, Jamie Cline started hustling again for heroin, driven by an addiction she didn’t understand. “You want to get clean so bad. You know something’s killing you and you can’t stop,” said the 33-year-old who used heroin for 10 years.

The path has been cleared for Safehouse to open the nation’s first supervised-injection site in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. On Wednesday, a federal judge declared the site is legal.