Minnesota Nurses Association members have signed a petition of no confidence in the CEO of Hennepin Healthcare, before the Hennepin County Board of Commissioner
Feb. 16, 2021Reprints Megan McAllister, a case manager with Prevention Point, uses her computer to check on clients’ cases in Philadelphia.
Hannah Yoon for STAT
Among the unrelenting death statistics flowing from the CDC last month, one grim non-Covid-19 statistic stood out: 81,003 deaths. That’s the number of people who died from drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending last June: a 20% increase and the highest number of fatal overdoses ever recorded in the U.S. in a single year.
The drug deaths started spiking last spring, as the coronavirus forced shutdowns, and more recent statistics from cities throughout the U.S. and Canada show the crisis has only deepened. In Colorado, overdose deaths were up 20% through the end of last year, and those involving fentanyl doubled; British Columbia officials reported nearly five overdose deaths per day in 2020, a 74% increase over the previous year; and a study released this month showed emergency room overdose visi