Addiction and the overdose crisisOur ongoing coverage of addiction, opioids and the broader overdose crisis in Massachusetts.State funds Mass. hotline to reduce risk of fatal overdosesWith overdose deaths at a record high, Massachusetts is funding an overdose prevention hotline. People using drugs call a toll-free number. Staff monitor them and notify emergency responders if they...HealthSep 26, 2023Purple flags fly at Boston Common to mark Overdose Awareness DayThe Boston Common flags, along with resource tables providing information on harm reduction, addiction prevention and recovery resources, will be displayed through Sept. 4.HealthAug 31, 2023Over-the-counter Narcan will cost $45 at major retail pharmaciesThe company that makes the spray is shipping out hundreds of thousands of doses to retailers starting Wednesday, marking the first time the drug will be available without a prescription...HealthAug 30, 2023Boston officials unveil new strategy for 'Mass. and Cass'Boston Mayor Michelle Wu will give law enforcement more authority to remove tents, and add more shelter beds, as the city looks to address worsening conditions in an area that's...ResumeHealth04:54Aug 25, 2023Narcan, soon available over the counter, is covered by some but not all Mass. insurers Some health insurers in Massachusetts say they will continue coverage for Narcan when it becomes available without a prescription. Narcan, a common brand of naloxone, is used to reverse an...HealthAug 24, 2023AdvertisementIn Mass., frustration mounts as Purdue's bankruptcy drags onThe delay on the national stage has frustrated some in Massachusetts who have waited for years for the bankruptcy to conclude — and for the billions in funding to combat...HealthAug 11, 2023Pressure on Mayor Wu to take action on Boston's 'Mass. and Cass' encampment reemergenceViolence and chaos have so overtaken the area that famed groups such as Boston Health Care for the Homeless have for now pulled out of the neighborhood.ResumeLocal Coverage06:30Aug 4, 2023Mass. set a record for opioid overdose deaths. Black residents were hardest hitMassachusetts has set another record, one no one will celebrate. Preliminary state data shows there were 2,357 overdose deaths in 2022. That’s a 2.5% increase over 2021 and the third...HealthJun 22, 2023Somerville dedicates funds for a supervised consumption facilitySomerville has approved most of the money needed for a mobile clinic where people using drugs could be monitored and revived if they overdose. In the coming weeks, city councilors...HealthJun 15, 2023Patients, doctor say closing of Emerson Hospital addiction medication program worsens 'treatment desert'The program served a swath of suburban towns along the Route 2 corridor and rural towns in Middlesex County. Emerson Health says the program saw a "limited number" of patients,...ResumeHealth06:04Jun 8, 2023Study: Stop mandatory child abuse reporting for infants exposed to addiction medications Massachusetts law says health care providers must contact child protective services any time a newborn has been exposed to opioids, including in-utero exposure to prescription medication used to treat an...HealthJun 3, 2023Prescription-free Narcan could make medication too expensive, some warnNaloxone has been used to reverse thousands of opioid overdoses in Massachusetts every year. Now, some local advocates worry that a federal decision to make one brand, Narcan, available without...Local CoverageMar 31, 2023BMC to end addiction program at former Roundhouse hotel at end of JulyBoston Medical Center will stop providing urgent care-style addiction services at a former hotel in the area of the city known as "Mass. and Cass."Local CoverageFeb 22, 2023Study taps pharmacies as addiction treatment option during opioid crisisFew patients who might benefit from medications to treat an addiction to opioids receive them. Treatment programs may be inconvenient or may not have openings. One possible remedy is having...ResumeHealth03:37Jan 11, 2023After a record high, overdose deaths may be declining slightly in Massachusetts Opioid overdose deaths dropped 1.5% through September of this year compared to 2021, according to preliminary numbers from the state Department of Public Health. Officials said they were "encouraged by...HealthDec 14, 2022Tackling the fake pill supply killing teens and young adultsCounterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, sold via social media sites, are killing young people. Here's how parents, advocates and social media companies are trying to tackle the problem.ResumeHealth04:03Nov 14, 2022Boston officials visit jail as they seek options to house people at 'Mass. and Cass'With dozens of people still congregating at what's known as the 'Mass. and Cass' area of Boston, the city says it is considering all options to house people who linger...Local CoverageOct 25, 2022Hospitals have many disease specialists, but often not for addiction. Now, that's changingHospitals typically employ heart, lung, kidney and other specialists. But there are few hospitals where patients can see anyone who specializes in addiction medicine — even as overdose deaths reach...ResumeHealth05:40Sep 14, 2022Somerville maps fastest path to state's first supervised consumption clinic — starting in a parking lotThe first supervised consumption clinic in Massachusetts may be a portable unit placed in a parking lot in Somerville. That’s one of the recommendations in an operations and location report...ResumeHealth03:24Jul 29, 2022Millions from opioid settlements arrive for Mass. cities and townsMassachusetts cities and towns are receiving the first payments from $26-billion in opioid settlements with Johnson & Johnson and three opioid distributors. Spending plans vary widely - from expanding emergency...HealthJul 15, 2022Next Page
State funds Mass. hotline to reduce risk of fatal overdosesWith overdose deaths at a record high, Massachusetts is funding an overdose prevention hotline. People using drugs call a toll-free number. Staff monitor them and notify emergency responders if they...HealthSep 26, 2023
Purple flags fly at Boston Common to mark Overdose Awareness DayThe Boston Common flags, along with resource tables providing information on harm reduction, addiction prevention and recovery resources, will be displayed through Sept. 4.HealthAug 31, 2023
Over-the-counter Narcan will cost $45 at major retail pharmaciesThe company that makes the spray is shipping out hundreds of thousands of doses to retailers starting Wednesday, marking the first time the drug will be available without a prescription...HealthAug 30, 2023
Boston officials unveil new strategy for 'Mass. and Cass'Boston Mayor Michelle Wu will give law enforcement more authority to remove tents, and add more shelter beds, as the city looks to address worsening conditions in an area that's...ResumeHealth04:54Aug 25, 2023
Narcan, soon available over the counter, is covered by some but not all Mass. insurers Some health insurers in Massachusetts say they will continue coverage for Narcan when it becomes available without a prescription. Narcan, a common brand of naloxone, is used to reverse an...HealthAug 24, 2023
In Mass., frustration mounts as Purdue's bankruptcy drags onThe delay on the national stage has frustrated some in Massachusetts who have waited for years for the bankruptcy to conclude — and for the billions in funding to combat...HealthAug 11, 2023
Pressure on Mayor Wu to take action on Boston's 'Mass. and Cass' encampment reemergenceViolence and chaos have so overtaken the area that famed groups such as Boston Health Care for the Homeless have for now pulled out of the neighborhood.ResumeLocal Coverage06:30Aug 4, 2023
Mass. set a record for opioid overdose deaths. Black residents were hardest hitMassachusetts has set another record, one no one will celebrate. Preliminary state data shows there were 2,357 overdose deaths in 2022. That’s a 2.5% increase over 2021 and the third...HealthJun 22, 2023
Somerville dedicates funds for a supervised consumption facilitySomerville has approved most of the money needed for a mobile clinic where people using drugs could be monitored and revived if they overdose. In the coming weeks, city councilors...HealthJun 15, 2023
Patients, doctor say closing of Emerson Hospital addiction medication program worsens 'treatment desert'The program served a swath of suburban towns along the Route 2 corridor and rural towns in Middlesex County. Emerson Health says the program saw a "limited number" of patients,...ResumeHealth06:04Jun 8, 2023
Study: Stop mandatory child abuse reporting for infants exposed to addiction medications Massachusetts law says health care providers must contact child protective services any time a newborn has been exposed to opioids, including in-utero exposure to prescription medication used to treat an...HealthJun 3, 2023
Prescription-free Narcan could make medication too expensive, some warnNaloxone has been used to reverse thousands of opioid overdoses in Massachusetts every year. Now, some local advocates worry that a federal decision to make one brand, Narcan, available without...Local CoverageMar 31, 2023
BMC to end addiction program at former Roundhouse hotel at end of JulyBoston Medical Center will stop providing urgent care-style addiction services at a former hotel in the area of the city known as "Mass. and Cass."Local CoverageFeb 22, 2023
Study taps pharmacies as addiction treatment option during opioid crisisFew patients who might benefit from medications to treat an addiction to opioids receive them. Treatment programs may be inconvenient or may not have openings. One possible remedy is having...ResumeHealth03:37Jan 11, 2023
After a record high, overdose deaths may be declining slightly in Massachusetts Opioid overdose deaths dropped 1.5% through September of this year compared to 2021, according to preliminary numbers from the state Department of Public Health. Officials said they were "encouraged by...HealthDec 14, 2022
Tackling the fake pill supply killing teens and young adultsCounterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, sold via social media sites, are killing young people. Here's how parents, advocates and social media companies are trying to tackle the problem.ResumeHealth04:03Nov 14, 2022
Boston officials visit jail as they seek options to house people at 'Mass. and Cass'With dozens of people still congregating at what's known as the 'Mass. and Cass' area of Boston, the city says it is considering all options to house people who linger...Local CoverageOct 25, 2022
Hospitals have many disease specialists, but often not for addiction. Now, that's changingHospitals typically employ heart, lung, kidney and other specialists. But there are few hospitals where patients can see anyone who specializes in addiction medicine — even as overdose deaths reach...ResumeHealth05:40Sep 14, 2022
Somerville maps fastest path to state's first supervised consumption clinic — starting in a parking lotThe first supervised consumption clinic in Massachusetts may be a portable unit placed in a parking lot in Somerville. That’s one of the recommendations in an operations and location report...ResumeHealth03:24Jul 29, 2022
Millions from opioid settlements arrive for Mass. cities and townsMassachusetts cities and towns are receiving the first payments from $26-billion in opioid settlements with Johnson & Johnson and three opioid distributors. Spending plans vary widely - from expanding emergency...HealthJul 15, 2022
