upper waypoint

Drug Overdose Deaths Spike During the Pandemic

28:18
Save ArticleSave Article
Failed to save article

Please try again

 (iStock)

Emerging evidence shows that drug overdose deaths are surging from increased substance abuse driven by feelings of isolation, anxiety and depression during the coronavirus pandemic. Fatal drug overdoses were already ticking upward in 2019, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — a trend the pandemic is accelerating. And more challenging, many treatment programs have been scaled back as the federal government puts some funding for non-COVID-related work on hold indefinitely. We’ll discuss the growing concern over this epidemic within the pandemic and what can be done to address it.

Guests:

Dr. Nora Volkow, director, National Institute on Drug Abuse

Joanne Spetz, director, UCSF Health Workforce Research Center; associate director of research at the UCSF Healthforce Center

Sponsored

lower waypoint
next waypoint