Day after day, week after week, the headlines in Northeast Ohio contain news of lives lost to opioids – both prescribed medication and illegal heroin. It’s a problem that knows no bounds: geography, race, gender, level of education or income. And, it’s an issue that has found an unfortunate home in Ohio – which has found itself at or near the top of lists of opioid overdoses and deaths.
WKSU journalists had been reporting on the opioid crisis for years as it began to emerge. In 2017, the station embarked on a multi-part series, which evolved into ongoing coverage, spurred by an explosion of deaths as the powerful elephant sedative Carfentanil found its way to the region. Reporters covered issues related to using the drug narcan to reverse overdoses, the strain on first responders, and community, judicial and healthcare response to this frightening new wave of addiction.
WKSU's entry for best continuing coverage for 2017.