Huntington, W. Va.: This city has the most heroin overdose deaths in the US. Here's how they're fighting back

[TomSea]

This city has the most heroin overdose deaths in the US. Here's how they're fighting back by Justin Sherman

WATCH: How Huntington, West Virginia is dealing with heroin addiction. WARNING: Contains adult language.

The United States is in the midst of an epidemic of heroin and opioid abuse. And Huntington, West Virginia is Ground Zero.

It had more than 900 overdoses last year with an overdose death rate that is almost ten times the national average, and just last month there was 27 heroin overdoes in a four-hour span.

Along with the alarming rate of overdoses, the heroin epidemic has also ignited a public health crisis in Huntington.The city has the most cases of Hepatitis B in the nation, the second highest rate of Hepatitis C and is at risk of having an HIV epidemic."Because heroin is injected into their veins and they share needles there are all kinds of medical complications," says Huntington's Deputy Fire Chief Jan Rader, also a registered nurse who runs a team of emergency first responders.

Read More At: http://circa.com/politics/people/inside-the-town-thats-ground-zero-for-americas-heroin-epidemic

[Smokin Joe]

You'd think America would have learned about this sh*t in the '60s, when there weren't so many things to catch sharing needles. It was bad then and is even worse now.

[mountaineer]

Naloxone use skyrocketing in the Ohio Valley
WTOV, Steubenville, Ohio


TORONTO, Ohio — The use of Naloxone is skyrocketing in the Ohio Valley.

In East Liverpool last week, officials said they had seven overdoses in one 24-hour span.

First-responders say they’ve had to administer Naloxone multiple times to multiple individuals, and that means they're spending more money on the drug, and they have more in drug boxes inside ambulances all across the entire Ohio Valley.

Officials say they have seen an influx of Fetanyl laced heroin, and they believe that that is the main problem.

Protocols have been changed to ensure that patients survive, and more Naloxone is being carried by those who administer aid.

“Before it would be one dose and they would come up and now know you're up to six or seven doses,” said Chief Clark Crago of the TEMS Joint Ambulance District. “It is very scary to know that you may not have enough of the medication needed to bring these people out.”

Officials say the one dose of Naloxone can cost anywhere from $30-$90. And in many cases, that can become a burden on agencies and on taxpayers.