The Long Journey for Reasonable Opioid Care

Stat: 1 in 4: More than 2 million Americans suffer from opioid use disorder, but only about 1 in 4 receive any care.

Story: Opioid use has become a major public health problem in the United States, but there are many obstacles to treatment, including stigma. In this episode, members of Pew's substance use prevention and treatment team explain how to overcome barriers to care—and how new rules from the quarantine days of the pandemic can help show the way.

We also hear from Jordan Scott, an advocate for people with substance use disorders in Pennsylvania, who shares her own long journey with addiction and the obstacles she faced.

Please note that this episode references addiction and self-harm.

If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit 988lifeline.org and click on the chat button.