The Top Stories of 2017 on Smart Talk concludes Friday with a look back at the opioid crisis.
The federal government said last week that life expectancy in the U.S. fell for the second year in a row in 2016, and the unusual drop was attributed to the growing number of opioid, especially heroin, overdose deaths across the country.
It’s been called a crisis and an epidemic but however what’s happening now is referred to, people are dying at unprecedented rates from drug overdoses.
Smart Talk focused on the opioid crisis several times throughout the year. Friday’s program includes excerpts from a few of those shows.
Especially gripping is a program with York County Coroner Pam Gay and a first responder from Lancaster County who talk about the overdoes they see seemingly everyday. During this program, we also learn about a lawsuit that Dauphin County filed against pharmacuetical companies that manufacture opioid prescription painkillers that most believe started the epidemic. Dauphin County is one of several that have gone to court against the drug makers. We also hear about recovery from substance abuse and what works and doesn’t.
This is an on-going issue that many believe it is the number one public health concern in America. Smart Talk will continue to focus on the opioid crisis in 2018.
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