“People at Brightview across all of our states, they have some connection to addiction,” said David McDonald Jr., Brightview’s public relations manager, during a tour he gave LINK nky of the new facility in Covington, which opened on Monday. “My parents both went through it, and I had a cousin that passed after an overdose.”
BrightView Roanoke Addiction Treatment Center is marking a milestone with its one-year anniversary of providing effective outpatient addiction treatment. The center celebrated the occasion with a special event on Thursday, including an awards presentation to patients who have successfully accomplished sobriety.
Overdose deaths in Kentucky have declined for the first time in four years. The Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC) reported that 2,127 people died from a drug overdose in 2022 — a 5% decrease from the 2,257 overdose deaths in 2021.
Will LaCouture, the Outreach Director for BrightView Massachusetts, which comprises 12 addiction recovery centers throughout the state, joins host James Milan to discuss the urgent public health crisis around fentanyl and other opioids, including the recent emergence of tranq, which is particularly concerning because Narcan cannot be used to treat an overdose. Will also addresses common myths about addiction and treatment.
The FDA has approved Narcan for over the counter sales. You can now buy it without a prescription and don’t have to ask a pharmacist for it. Sari Cason with Brightview Health said she was excited to hear the news, calling the impact life-saving.
In Massachusetts, an animal tranquilizer called xylazine, often known as “tranq,” is making its way into the drug supply system.
Kayla Kitchen is a mom of two, with another baby on the way due in April. She’s been coming to BrightView’s addiction treatment center in Elyria for most of her pregnancy, after feeling concerned she may relapse.
According to the CDC, overdose deaths among Black men increased more than 200% since 2015 and more than 144% among Black women. Even more troubling, a study by the Yale University Department of Psychiatry found that 90% of African American people in the U.S. who need addiction treatment do not get it.
A powerful sedative for large animals is being detected in a growing number of human overdose deaths. The drug is spreading across the country. It’s called Xylazine. On the street, it’s known as “Tranq,” “K,” “Sleep Cut,” or even “Zombie Drug.” The DEA said it’s only authorized for use in the U.S. by veterinarians.
Fentanyl is deadly on its own and now it’s being laced with more dangerous drug used as an animal tranquilizer.
