The Forgotten Opioid Crisis

81,003. That’s the number of overdose deaths the CDC recorded in the 12 months leading up to last June as lockdowns upended lives and gutted addiction treatment services.
 
It was the most ever recorded in the US in a 12-month period.
 
Pre-pandemic, the opioid crisis was getting more attention and government funding. In 2018, overdose deaths fell for the first time in a decade.
 
But cash-strapped health systems have cut back on addiction treatment programs just as job losses and other factors mean their services are needed more than ever.
 
The Quote: “That feels like taking snow tires off as winter approaches,” said Charles Reznikoff, a Minneapolis addiction specialist.
 
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