Miscellaneous
Getting treatment for an opioid use disorder can be complicated, often requiring daily visits to receive addiction medication under the supervision of a provider. While guidelines have been relaxed to reduce barriers for those seeking care, it's not clear how effective the changes have been. "Their barriers are huge here," said Kim Brown, the founder of Quad Cities Harm Reduction (QCHR), "and they've been exacerbated by the pandemic." QCHR distributes supplies, including Naloxone--the medication used to reverse opioid overdoses--to drug users across Illinois and Iowa. On this episode of the podcast we speak with Brown about how the pandemic is affecting access to opioid treatment as providers navigate a new regulatory landscape.