Addiction

Residents, advocates for those with addiction, and community leaders told Council members that the city must do more to address the fallout of addiction in Kensington.

The medicine is now available at retail pharmacies in most states without a prescription.

The safe injection sites, which will be funded by private donations and support from nonprofits, are part of Philadelphia's larger plan to reduce incarcerations for drug use.

Wounds related to injection drug use are often hidden under long sleeves as users try to hide their addiction.

Philadelphia officials updated the Kensington neighborhood last night on their efforts to bring a supervised injection facility to the city.

A discussion at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia looked at whether medical marijuana has a place in alleviating Pennsylvania’s opioid crisis.

'Carrying naloxone can be just as important as learning CPR,' says Philadelphia's assistant deputy commissioner of the fire department.

Council members’ questions for city officials took up so much of the three-hour hearing that other speakers, including treatment providers, did not have a chance to speak.

City Council will hold a second public hearing in April in Kensington, where residents will able to tell officials how the opioid crisis is affecting their community.

Over a decade, more than 3,600 children were admitted hospitals for opioid ingestion — about 800 between 2004 and 2007 and more than 1,500 between 2012 and 2015.

Sheila Dhand is a wound care nurse with Prevention Point Philadelphia’s mobile unit. She cares for skin and soft tissue infections often resulting from injecting drugs.

Injecting drugs can cause serious, life-threatening wounds. As the drug crisis escalates, some clinics are teaching simple techniques to reduce the risk of infection.

Emergency departments have been the first line of defense when it comes to opioid overdoses for a long time.

The Philadelphia Dept. of Public Health is running TV and social media ads warning people to avoid prescription painkillers, even when they get them legally from their doctor.

Pa.'s Medicaid program will no longer require doctors to get approval when prescribing medications that are proven to help people stay off heroin and prescription painkillers.