Culture
WOUB-TV to Examine Opioid Epidemic With Weekly Programming
By: Emily Votaw
Posted on:
The opioid epidemic is a national issue with deep, unfortunate roots in portions of Southeast Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. For the next several weeks, WOUB-TV will be providing programming every Thursday night exploring the ins and outs of the highly addictive and all-too-readily available painkilling substances.
Take a look at the programming information below for specifics on air dates and times. Watch this link for information on encore presentations or schedule changes.
Thursday, August 16 @ 9 p.m.
Do No Harm: The Opioid Epidemic #103 “Rocky Road to Recovery”
Recovery looks different for every addict, and this installment of the series looks at the many different ways in which those who have suffered from opioid addiction attempt to get their life back in order. This episode also looks at various treatment methods, including methadone treatments discovered by a young female scientist in 1963 and that are now widely used worldwide to treat opioid addiction. Not every story has a happy ending, although all have some sentiment of hope for the future for those impacted by these harmful substances.
Thursday, August 30 @ 9 p.m.
Second Opinion “Opioids to Heroin Addiction”
Although heroin addicts are often painted as existing on the fringes of society, the truth of the matter is that heroin addicts are often made when someone has some type of relatively typical injury or bodily pain that leads to their being prescribed some type of opioid-based painkiller. With the backlash against opioid prescription, these people, who have unwittingly become addicted to the pills, are forced to look for relief in the form of cheaper and easier to obtain street opioids, not the least among them heroin, which is markedly cheaper and easier to get your hands on than an OxyContin script. Panelists Louis E. Baxter, Sr., MD, FASAM, Anne Marie McKenzie-Brown. Louis J. Papa, MD, FACP, Gloria Baciewicz, M.D., Patrick Seche, MS, and Cynthia Scudo, grandmother of 20, speak about how her story of hip pain led to a nine-year heroin addiction.
Thursday, August 30 @ 9:30 p.m.
Healthy Minds With Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein “Opioid Epidemic: What Every Family Needs to Know”
Nationwide, over 90 people die every day in the U.S. due to opioid overdose. Dr. Jeff Borenstein discusses the terrifying trend and what can be done to prevent the spread of opioid addiction, as well as encourage recovery with Petros Levounis, M.D., Psychiatry Chair at Rutgers Medical School.
Thursday, September 6 @ 9 p.m.
Second Opinion Special: Overdose: Inside the Epidemic
As heroin overdose in the U.S. climb to new alarming heights, personal accounts of drug overdose deaths become more and more common. In this Second Opinion special, Mary and Joe Mullin speak about the tragic overdose death of their son, Patrick, which occurred only weeks before the filming of the special. The Mullins and the experts on Second Opinion dive into examining the typical route of heroin addiction, which usually starts with the misuse of prescription opioids, that, while nearly identical in how they are metabolized by the body, don’t carry the same social stigmas.
Thursday, September 13 @ 9 p.m.
Frontline: Chasing Heroin
Addiction has long been seen as a moral issue — something that those in power should criminally prosecute. In this special, four addicts in Seattle, WA are followed as their community embraces a radical new approach to dealing with opioid addiction. This program examines what happens when addiction is treated as the highly systemic disease at the center of a public health crisis.
Thursday, September 20 @ 9 p.m.
Journey to Recovery (Produced by The Kentucky Network)
Kentucky is one of the states with the highest concentration of opioid addiction, and this special examines exactly how the crisis is impacting communities only a few hours outside of Athens, OH. This particular special dissects addiction as a brain disease, rather than a moral or criminal issue.
Thursday, September 27 @ 9 p.m.
Ohio’s Addiction: Roads to Recovery
In this state-wide special being broadcast on all PBS affiliates, perspectives from communities all over the state about the opioid crisis will be explored.