Addiction

What You Need To Know • Angela Thornton is recovering from heroin addiction, and graduated from the CASC program in Clermont County • The Community Alternative Sentencing Center (CASC) is a program that allows those with substance abuse disorders to be treated by behavioral health and medical specialists • The program can be sentenced by a judge solely or in combination with jail time • Over its four years of operation, CASC has helped thousands start their recovery from drug-addiction and substance abuse • Thornton is now one-year sober and is working to provide the best life possible for her two daughters

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (WSAZ) - The pandemic has created hardship for many Americans and their families. For those already struggling with addiction, the weight of the burden can feel overwhelming. One business owner in Portsmouth is helping to carry the load in his hometown.

National Institutes of Health and other federal leaders outlined their vision for a groundbreaking study that will aim to address gaps in reaching communities most heavily affected by the opioid epidemic with proven, evidence-based interventions for opioid use disorder (OUD).

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Throughout Ohio and across the country, as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, another health crisis remains: drug addiction.

A white lab coat might seem like unusual attire for a rapper, but Torki Barayan often wears one when he lays down a track.

Every year, employers in the U.S. lose about $42 billion in economic productivity, according to the National Safety Council. The Council of Economic Advisers, meanwhile, estimates that opioid addiction (including the value of lives lost) has cost the country $696 billion, or 3.4% of GDP.

The first time Sarah Nerad entered rehab, she was 16 years old.

Despite losing some $3.3 billion from March 9 through July 1 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Ohio’s hospitals are not only doubling down on finding solutions for caring for patients and putting an end to the coronavirus pandemic, but they’re partnering to stem the continued tide of opioid overdose deaths.