Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention / Public News Service

About 20% of Americans living in rural areas, or about 6.5 million people, have been diagnosed with some form of mental illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Address Rural-Urban Mental-Health Care Gap

A new report underscores the challenges of getting mental health treatment when living in rural areas, like much of Montana. The Bipartisan Policy …

One in three Coloradans age 65 and older face significant housing cost burdens, according to a new report. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado Ranks 3rd Nationally for Senior Health Outcomes

Colorado ranks third nationally when it comes to caring for its most vulnerable adults, according to a new UnitedHealthcare report. The strong …

More than 60% of rural counties lack a psychiatrist, and almost half do not have a psychologist, compared with 27% and 19% of urban counties, respectively. (Adobe Stock)

Addressing Challenges to Behavioral Health Care in Rural Wyoming

A new report spotlights some of the challenges to accessing behavioral health care for the one in seven Americans who live in rural areas. Kendall …

According to Virginia's opioid cost calculator, which tracks monetary impacts like lost labor, health care, crime, household costs, and state and federal costs, the state is facing a price tag of around $3.5 billion. (Adobe Stock)

VA Group Works to Address Opioid Crisis

As the opioid epidemic continues to take its toll, a Virginia group is working to keep people safe. The Virginia Harm Reduction Coalition in Roanoke …

Ideal Option's mobile clinic for substance abuse treatment is operating in the small eastern Idaho town of Rexburg. (Ideal Option)

Mobile Clinic Aids in Addiction Treatment in Rural ID

A mobile clinic is bringing drug treatment to rural Idaho. The organization Ideal Option's first treatment clinic on wheels is in Rexburg. Ideal …

A new survey found 92% of respondents age 45 and older say staying physically healthy is important. (JackF/Adobe Stock)

Survey: Financial Strains Top of Mind for Older Oregonians

A new survey found older Oregonians are concerned about the cost of living in many aspects of their lives. The Vital Voices research program from …

A new training program developed by the High Plains Research Network Community Advisory Council is helping community members intervene and prevent suicides in rural areas across Colorado. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado's Rural Communities Mobilizing to Prevent Suicide

Community advisory committees across rural Colorado are working to better understand the mental-health needs for community members including farmers…

More than 20 million people in the United States were diagnosed with a substance use disorder in the past year, according to the National Institute on Drug abuse. (Adobe stock)

Kentucky Sees First Drop in Overdose Deaths Since 2018

Drug overdose deaths in Kentucky decreased 5% between 2022 and 2021, the first drop since 2018. New data from the Kentucky Injury Prevention and …

The Drug Enforcement Administration seized more than 57.5 million fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills and 13,740 pounds of fentanyl powder in 2022, according to the White House. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Animal Tranquilizer in Fentanyl Found in 48 States, Including Kentucky

Fentanyl in Kentucky may be now laced with an animal tranquilizer called Xylazine, what drug officials are calling the "third wave" of the opioid …

According to an America's Health Rankings report, excessive drinking can be linked to a variety of chronic illnesses, diseases and health problems, including hypertension, heart disease, liver disease, certain cancers, and memory and learning problems. (Adobe Stock)

VA Group Voices Concerns about Underage Drinking

April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and Virginia groups are doing their part to educate people about alcohol abuse. The state ranked 22nd for …

Maine Attorney General Aaron Fry says recovery houses and the people in them are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act and the federal Fair Housing Act, and suggests that repealing protections could put Maine in violation of those laws. (Adobe Stock)<br />

ME Lawmakers Study Regulations Surrounding Addiction Recovery Homes

Public opposition to legislation requiring stricter fire-safety standards at Maine's recovery residences has led lawmakers to consider studying the sy…

Rates of alcohol-induced deaths for males were stable from 2000 to 2009. They increased 30% from 2009 to 2018 and 26% from 2019 to 2020. (Adobe Stock)

Advocates Focus on Rural Drinking During Alcohol Awareness Month

Substance-abuse prevention advocates are educating people about the dangers of underage drinking during this, Alcohol Awareness Month. In Iowa…

In 2020, 1,750 children died of abuse and neglect in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Adobe Stock)

Rising Inflation, Poverty, Puts WV Kids at Higher Risk of Abuse

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and experts say ongoing inflation, economic challenges and poverty can place stress on families and increase …

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, instability in a child's life because of a parent in prison can lead to

Report: Keep Incarcerated Parents and Kids Close

A recent report from the Prison Policy Initiative calls for better state laws to keep incarcerated parents close to their kids. It finds 12 states …

Federal officials say over-the-counter availability of Naloxone could happen later this summer. (Adobe Stock)

Feds OK Over-the-Counter Sales of Overdose-Reversing Drug

States such as Minnesota continue to grapple with recent spikes in fatal overdoses tied to opioids. Now, a federal agency has taken what aid groups …

Smoking prevention groups said because there are thousands of flavored tobacco products on the market, teens are gravitating toward them and picking up health risks along the way. (Adobe Stock)

Proposed Flavored Tobacco Ban for MN Back on Table

Youth advocates continue to sound the alarm over the impact flavored tobacco products have on teenagers, and hope Minnesota lawmakers take another …

Leaders of the Maliseet, Mi'kmaq, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Nations tell state lawmakers tribal sovereignty would bring federal funding, and jobs. Research shows per-capita income for non-Maine tribes grew by 61% between 1989 and 2020, yet only 9% for Wabanaki Nations. (Wabanaki Alliance)

Wabanaki Nations Seek Tribal Sovereignty from Maine

Leaders of the Wabanaki Nations are asking Maine lawmakers to recognize tribal sovereignty and help ensure a better economic future for their youth…

It costs taxpayers $13,400 to provide supportive housing per person each year, compared with between $21,000 and $40,000 for medical care, incarceration, detox treatment and shelter services. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Denver Mayoral Candidates Off the Mark on Homeless Crisis

Advocates for people experiencing homelessness are pushing back against proposals by several Denver mayoral candidates who are including forced mental…

Fentanyl continues to drive most of North Carolina's overdose deaths, according to recently released data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. (Adobe Stock)

2021 North Carolina Overdose Deaths Highest on Record

More than 4,000 people in North Carolina died of overdoses in 2021, the highest number of overdose deaths in a single year on record in the state…

All the states that border Minnesota have approved laws that legalize sports betting. (Adobe Stock)

MN Sports-Betting Bill Advances

Another Minnesota House committee has endorsed a bill that would allow sports betting within the state, but there are calls to add some provisions as …

Nearly four million people reported misusing prescription stimulants in 2021, according to data from the National Institutes of Health. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Feds Clamp Down on Telehealth for High-Risk Abuse Drugs

The federal government said it is clamping down on the use of telehealth for drugs with a high risk of abuse. Under the proposed rules, doctors will …

The New Hampshire Peoples' Budget Coalition is calling on lawmakers to fully invest in public education and reverse investments in the state's Education Freedom Accounts, which the coalition says drains much-needed funding from public schools and downshifts costs to property taxpayers. (Adobe Stock)

Broad Coalition Urges NH Lawmakers to 'Show Love' in State Budget

A broad coalition of New Hampshire faith and community leaders is calling on state lawmakers to create a budget which serves the people. The New …

Problem gambling experts say commercials for sports-betting apps often portray the activity as a fun, social event, with not enough information about the potential risks. (wpadington/Adobe Stock)<br />

Expert: Use Common Sense Making Online Super Bowl Wagers

The Super Bowl is on this weekend, and people ready to try sports-betting apps will no doubt want to get in on the action. Online sports betting is …

Researcher: Sports-Betting Apps Don't Always Produce Touchdowns

The Super Bowl is almost here, and people who have wanted to try sports-betting apps will be putting their money down. Minnesota has not yet …

Stigma continues to be one of the biggest barriers for addressing mental health, and telehealth provides a confidential option. (Adobe Stock)

Post-Pandemic Telehealth Visits Remain High for Mental Health

The use of telehealth has dropped since its peak during the height of the COVID-19 public health emergency, but more Coloradans continue to opt for …

To curb the dramatic spike in drug overdose deaths, largely due to fentanyl, federal funding was made available to states in 2021 for the purchase of rapid fentanyl test strips. (Harald/AdobeStock)

TX Governor Signals Support for Legalization of Fentanyl Test Strips

Texas may soon join other states with legalized fentanyl test strips, used by those with drug addictions to detect the presence of the often lethal …

More people in the United States are dying prematurely, including a notable increase in drug deaths, according to a new report released by United Healthcare. (krisana/Adobe Stock)

Report: Drug Overdoses Killing More People in Indiana, Nationwide

More Indianans are struggling with substance use disorders, according to the latest America's Health Rankings report. State data show six Indiana …

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more than 107,000 people in the United States between January 2021 and January 2022, according to the American Medical Association. (Adobe Stock)">

Report: Drug Overdoses More Deadly in Iowa, Nationwide

More Iowa communities are struggling with fatal drug overdoses, according to the latest America's Health Rankings report. State data show Iowa's …

More than 80,000 people died from drug overdoses in the U-S between 2019 and 2020, the largest number of overdose deaths during a 12-month period ever recorded, according to the CDC. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Over-the-Counter Naloxone Spray Could Hit Shelves in 2023

West Virginians could soon be able to purchase naloxone, brand name Narcan, without a prescription. Earlier this month the Food and Drug …

Over the life of the program, Tennessee has trained more than 2,000 Certified Peer Support Specialists, according to the Dept. of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. (Monkey Business/Adobe Stock)

TN Peer Recovery Specialist Program Reaches Milestone

Tennessee now has over 1,000 people across the state who are actively using their past experience with mental-health and substance-use challenges to h…

Tamara Loertscher holds her son, Harmonious Ellner, weeks after his birth in 2015. Loertscher was detained and incarcerated in Taylor County, Wis., during her pregnancy after health officials alleged she was using drugs while pregnant, an allegation she denies. (Photo courtesy of Loertscher.)

Policing Pregnancy: WI ‘Fetal Protection’ Law Forces Treatment or Jail

By Phoebe Petrovic for Wisconsin Watch.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Wisconsin News Connection reporting for Wisconsin Watch-Public News Service …

The city-run Engagement Center is a low-barrier day facility, which serves a few hundred people each day from the nearby

Engagement Center Finding Success Near Boston’s Troubled 'Mass and Cass'

Boston's 'Mass and Cass' area, with its large homeless population and open-air drug market, remains a trouble spot for city officials, but staff at …

All Juul e-cigarettes have a high level of nicotine, but a single Juul pod contains as much nicotine as a pack of 20 regular cigarettes, according to the manufacturer. (Adobe Stock)

Efforts to Curb Youth Vaping Fall Short

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the U.S., yet efforts to prevent kids from picking up the habit continue to …

More than three million U.S. middle- and high-school students reported current use of any tobacco product in 2022, representing approximately one in six high-school students and one in 22 middle-school students. (Adobe Photo)

Experts: Teens Want to Talk About Risks of Vaping

Today marks the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout, an effort meant to encourage those who smoke or vape to quit, especially younger …

Since 1999, the number of opiate-related deaths has increased every year, and overdoses have risen by 44% since the onset of the pandemic. (Adobe Stock)

Moving Opioid Treatment into Primary Care to Expand Access

Each year some 68,000 people in Colorado and across the U.S. die from opiate overdoses, largely due to lack of treatment, and federally qualified …

According to the opioid cost calculator, the Virginia counties with some of the highest financial burdens are Fairfax County at $251,803,959, Richmond at $216,315,353, and the city of Virginia Beach at $199,838,514. (Jim Gimpel/Adobe Stock)

New Tool Examines Financial Cost of Opioid Crisis in VA

A new tool is calculating the financial impact of the opioid crisis in Virginia. The opioid cost calculator opioid cost calculator developed by the …

Ohio hospitals had more than 14,000 encounters for opioid overdoses in 2021. (Adobe Stock)

Nurse to Candidates: Opioid Crisis Should be "Front and Center" in Ohio

Overdose deaths in Ohio are on track to fall below the record pace of last year, but the opioid crisis is far from over. The group Harm Reduction …

Nine bipartisan candidates running for local office in Charleston have joined forces to tackle the region's most pressing issues, including the overdose crisis, broadband access and cannabis decriminalization. (Adobe Stock)

Bipartisan Candidates in WV Capital Join Forces to Combat Drug Crisis

A bipartisan group of candidates running for city council in Charleston say the city needs to tackle the region's drug crisis by decriminalizing canna…

The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky named Denise Hall recipient of its 2022 Gil Friedell Award for her career spent serving youths in Trimble County through substance-use prevention efforts. (Adobe Stock)

KY School District Takes Lead on Mental Health, Drug-Use Prevention

In Trimble County, school staff are expanding services for students and families aimed at curbing vaping, marijuana and opioid use, and increasing …

Across the nation, one in five children is living with a mental health disorder, but fewer than half will ever receive treatment. (Adobe Stock)

Moving the Needle on Children’s Mental Health

Children's Hospital Colorado has increased its mental-health inpatient, outpatient and day services by more than 50% to address what it called a …

According to the Recovery Ecosystem Index Mapping Tool, a little more than half of drug-related deaths between 2015 and 2019 in New Hampshire were white people with at least a high school education, ages 15-64. (Adobe Stock)

New Tool Maps Substance-Use Recovery Hotspots

A new tool is locating areas in the U.S. in need of robust recovery systems for people dealing with substance abuse. The Recovery Ecosystem Index …

The synthetic opioid Fentanyl was present in 93% of the drug-overdose deaths in 2021 for which a toxicology screen was performed, according to the Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health. (Adobe Stock)

Narcan Trainers Enlist Public’s Help in Preventing MA Overdose Deaths

At libraries, colleges and even movie theaters, more people in Massachusetts are learning how to prevent an opioid overdose death by administering …

Data from a national survey of adults found that excessive drinking increased 21% during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Adobe Stock)

Sober October Highlights Health Benefits, Raising Money for Charity

Missourians who want a new health challenge can participate in Sober October. In addition to the sobriety pledge, it offers the chance to raise money …

Sober October Highlights Health Benefits and Raising Money for Charity

Marylanders who want a new health challenge can participate in Sober October, which -- in addition to the sobriety pledge -- offers the chance to …

Excessive drinking is more prevalent among males than females, and adults ages 18 to 44 compared to age 45 and older. (Adobe Stock)

Going Sober in October Can Help You and Others

Ohioans are encouraged to participate in a new national challenge to improve their health and the lives of others. During the Sober October event…

According to the Recovery Ecosystem Index Mapping Tool, 61.8% of drug-related deaths between 2015 and 2019 in the state of Virginia were white people with at least a high school education, ages 15 to 64. (Waseem Ali Khan/Adobe Stock)

New Tool Maps Substance-Use Recovery Hotspots

As part of National Recovery Month, a new tool identifies different areas in the U.S. in need of a stronger recovery system for people dealing with …

Children of color are more likely than white kids to experience the death of a parent, as are children living in rural areas. (Adobe Stock)

Conference on Grieving in Lincoln to Focus on Supporting Kids

Nebraska is one of six states participating in "No Child Grieves Alone," a series of regional conferences aiming to help communities recover after the…

In 2021, there were fewer than 12,000 coal miners employed in West Virginia, according to state data. (Adobe Stock)

West Virginians Draw from Within to Rebuild Communities

By Quincy Gray McMichael for Yes! Media. Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for West Virginia News Service, Reporting for the YES! Media-Public News …

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