Houston, we've got a problem

It's no secret that West Virginia, and my own county of Cabell, is ground zero for the opioid plague. As of 2015, Huntington had the highest drug overdose rate in the nation, with West Virginia "leading" the pack among states.

To get a sense of just how bad things are, consider this: yesterday between 3:30 and 9:00 pm fully 26 overdoses were reported in Huntington. It's almost miraculous, but so far nobody has died. While there's no such thing as a good batch of heroin, this one was particularly powerful. Some patients required more than one dose of naloxone to come out of it.

This year's overdose rate for the city is about the same as last year, but there is a bit of good news: the rate of overdose deaths is down by about 25 percent, from 35 last year to 26 this year.

The epidemic has got to be exhausting to the emergency medical service workers. According to this MetroNews report, some individual first responders helped save as many as eight overdose patience in one day.

This clearly shows the need for more investment in drug abuse prevention, treatment and recovery. And don't count on "the market" to provide it.

Good news, bad news, repeat

To start on a positive note, the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion in particular is shaping up to be a success story in WV. Aside from the fact that around 170,000 West Virginians are covered by Medicaid expansion and another 33,000 have gained coverage via the exchange, now hospitals are reporting huge savings. The Charleston Gazette recently reported that 25 hospitals have reported a $265 million drop in uncompensated care.

On a negative note, changes to food stamp aka SNAP benefits could result in thousands of West Virginians losing them.

On a positive note, my beloved Cabell County Schools is expanding free meals for students. On the other hand, Cabell is also ground zero for substance abuse, with over 900 overdoses reported last year.

Half empty or half full?