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EMS workers across Missouri are receiving training on how to give overdose victims a dose of buprenorphine, which manages cravings and withdrawal symptoms, after reviving them from an overdose with the overdose reversal drug naloxone.
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Substance abuse contributes to around 13% of Kansas children entering foster care. Now, Kansas is testing a new Family Treatment Court in rural counties that will help parents complete addiction treatment and reunite with their kids.
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Millions of dollars have flowed into the state of Kansas from opioid settlement funds, which are supposed to go to treatment and prevention. So why are police getting a lot of that money? Plus: A Kansas City musician who turned his grief over his parents' deaths into art.
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The state of Kansas expects to receive more than $340 million over the next 18 years from opioid settlement funds. Much of that has gone to state and local law enforcement agencies, despite criticism about how they've handled drug enforcement.
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Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, offers an over-the-counter medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdoses. Despite efforts to make it more widely available, high prices mean Kansas City doesn't have enough doses for the people who need it most.
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Missouri's prescription drug monitoring database went online last week. Health workers will now need to enter patient information into a statewide database when they dispense opioids and other controlled substances.
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Vending machines have become one of the latest tools in the fight against the opioid crisis. In the Kansas City area, the machines will soon be found in Johnson, Wyandotte and Douglas counties.
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Johnson County is adding two specialty courts that will focus on treating underlying conditions that may have contributed to criminal behavior, with the hope of reducing recidivism.
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Both Kansas and Missouri have seen the number of overdose deaths attributed to synthetic opioids like fentanyl increase dramatically in the last several years. The U.S.'s drug czar urged people to carry Naloxone to counteract opioid overdoses in a visit to the Midwest last week.
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In April, Kansas City voters approved a 3% tax on recreational marijuana revenue —1% of which will go towards finding solutions for houseless population. The city's homelessness prevention coordinator shared ideas of how the funding might be used.
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Data points to a nearly 75% increase in overdoses in Missouri since 2019, and last year was the second consecutive year that fentanyl accounted for over two-thirds of overdoses in Missouri.
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Successfully completing drug addiction treatment becomes more complicated when parents need to find child care for their children. That means some Kansans parents never go into treatment. Plus: Despite several GOP lawmakers saying they have no interest in pursuing restrictions on gender-affirming care for adults, transgender Missourians are bracing for more limits on their rights.