United Medical Center, which sees more opioid overdose victims than any hospital in the city, is one of three hospitals where buprenorphine treatment will begin in the emergency room. The programs involve outreach to opioid overdose victims, who will be able to begin taking buprenorphine — a medicine that diminishes cravings for heroin and other opioids — while still in the emergency room. The city recorded 279 opioid overdose deaths in 2017, more than three times the 2014 figure. In December, The Washington Post reported on the city’s faltering response to rising opioid deaths. Federal officials also launched an audit, still ongoing, of D.C. officials’ use of $4 million in grant money to treat opioid addiction.

Source: Washington Post April 30, 2019 19:30 UTC