Greg interviews Harriet Ryan, an investigative reporter at the Los Angeles Times who frequently writes about the opioid epidemic. On January 19, 2017, Harriet wrote an article about a recent lawsuit in the city of Everett—located just north of Seattle, Washington. The city was prompted to sue the drug producer Purdue Pharma after [...]
Greg interviews Eric Eyre, a Journalist at Charleston Gazette-Mail. Eric reports on healthcare issues, including the current opioid epidemic sweeping across the nation and more specifically in West Virginia. In December of 2015, he wrote an article on opioid distribution in West Virginia. His team analyzed opioid shipments between 2007 and 2012. Through [...]
Greg interviews Lenny Bernstein, a journalist at The Washington Post. Recently, Lenny’s team spent a year investigating the rising death rate of rural white Americans. He elaborates on an article published in October 2016. “My editor asked me to explain how there could be millions of pills on the street if the DEA [...]
Greg makes a return visit to the Cuyahoga County Needle Exchange truck to interview clients. You can listen to his other Cuyahoga County Needle Exchange podcast here. Greg interviews three clients: Rick, Ray, and Danny. Each has a unique story of the increasingly isolated worlds of substance abuse in which they live. [...]
Greg interviews Janis Beckett, the Director of Chemical Dependency Services at the Cleveland Clinic, Akron General Hospital and Edwin Shaw Rehabilitation Hospital. After struggling with substance use disorder for several years, Janis decided to enter the field of Chemical Dependency. She talks about her tough battle with the disease and her recovery. “The [...]
Greg interviews Sarah Nerad, Program Manager for the Ohio State University Collegiate Recovery Community in Columbus, Ohio and the Director of Recovery for the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention in Recovery. Sarah is in recovery herself, after struggling with addiction since the age of 15. She discusses her substance [...]
Greg interviews Jennifer Biddinger, the Director of Drug Abuse Outreach Initiatives for Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. In her role, Jennifer helps Ohioans fight drugs in their communities. As a part of the heroin outreach program, her team goes into specific communities to create initiatives. “The first step is to organize key people [...]
Greg interviews community leaders, administrators and students at a recent rally for Drug Free Clubs of America (DFCA). Drug Free Clubs are high school and middle school clubs in which students agree to remain drug free and submit to random drug screenings throughout the year. In return, they receive perks like prizes and [...]
Greg interviews Angie Ferguson, the Executive Director of Drug Free Clubs of America (DFCA). Part One discusses the origins of DFCA and the formation of DFCA clubs. Back in 2005, Angie’s father and a colleague told Angie of an idea they had to combat drug abuse. As firefighters, they had witnessed a lack [...]
