In The News
A look at the mission to stop drug overdoses in Western Pennsylvania
WTAE | 10/03/2023
Pastor Lance Rhoades, of Tree of Life Open Bible Church in Brookline, has been distributing free Narcan nasal sprays to prevent overdose deaths in his community, and joined a study led by the Program Evaluation Research Unit, which showed…
How Local Organizations Are Adapting To Meet Opioid Crisis Challenges During The Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated the lives of people struggling with substance use disorder, which has been accelerated by factors like increasing rates of anxiety, depression, social isolation, work from home orders, high rates of …
City Of Pittsburgh Hopes Opioid Overdose Dashboard Will Help Address Addiction
CBS | 17/03/2021
Local leaders in Pittsburgh are using a new opioid overdose dashboard, compiled by the city’s Office of Community Health and Safety, to identify who is struggling with opioid addiction and help them, with Pastor Lance Rhoades of Tree of Life Open…
A South Hills church struggles to help congregants suffering from opioid addiction amid COVID-19 pandemic
Public Source | 31/08/2020
The Tree of Life Open Bible Church in Brookline has reported a surge in overdoses during the pandemic, with hundreds of people attending 12-step programs, spiritual recovery groups, and family recovery groups before COVID-19 and now…
Isolation, overdoses, fewer recovery options: The opioid epidemic through the eyes of Pittsburgh-area recovery workers
Public Source | 31/08/2020
A woman in Homewood, who lost her daughter to an overdose, has been handing out bags filled with fried chicken, recovery pamphlets, and Narcan, but the pandemic has made it harder for those suffering from addiction to get help due to social…
How Local Organizations Are Adapting To Meet Opioid Crisis Challenges During The Pandemic
Post Gazette | 14/12/2017
The South Pittsburgh Opioid Action Coalition is holding a community resource fair called “Coming Together to End the Epidemic” tonight at Tree of Life Open Bible Church. The event will feature 20 organizations that help those affected by…
How Pittsburgh neighborhood became region’s overdose capital
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | 11/11/2017
Carrick, Pittsburgh’s fifth-most-populous neighborhood, has been hard hit by the opioid crisis, with high levels of poverty, dislocation, and dysfunction fueling addiction, and experts suggest repurposing institutions like schools and churches and…
Brookline gathering focuses on solutions to addiction
Post Gazette | 01/12/2017
The South Pittsburgh Opioid Action Coalition held an event in Brookline to discuss possible solutions to the opioid crisis, attended by local advocacy groups and residents from communities including Brookline, Beechview and Carrick, which…
A look at the mission to stop drug overdoses in Western Pennsylvania
Pastor Lance Rhoades, of Tree of Life Open Bible Church in Brookline, has been distributing free Narcan nasal sprays to prevent overdose deaths in his community, and joined a study led by the Program Evaluation Research Unit, which showed that communities that work together to prevent overdoses have seen a 30% reduction in overdose deaths.
How Local Organizations Are Adapting To Meet Opioid Crisis Challenges During The Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated the lives of people struggling with substance use disorder, which has been accelerated by factors like increasing rates of anxiety, depression, social isolation, work from home orders, high rates of unemployment and housing instability, as the CDC reports a record number of over 87,000 overdose deaths between September 2019 and September 2020, while organizations are adapting to provide mobile medicine sites, food, masks, rental assistance, and virtual support groups.
City Of Pittsburgh Hopes Opioid Overdose Dashboard Will Help Address Addiction
Local leaders in Pittsburgh are using a new opioid overdose dashboard, compiled by the city’s Office of Community Health and Safety, to identify who is struggling with opioid addiction and help them, with Pastor Lance Rhoades of Tree of Life Open Bible Church, having turned his church into a safe space for people in recovery.
A South Hills church struggles to help congregants suffering from opioid addiction amid COVID-19 pandemic
The Tree of Life Open Bible Church in Brookline has reported a surge in overdoses during the pandemic, with hundreds of people attending 12-step programs, spiritual recovery groups, and family recovery groups before COVID-19 and now drawing only 40 people in person, with the rest online, while virtual meetings have seen attendance drop over 65%, leading to concerns that people struggling with addiction are missing out on opportunities to get help.
Isolation, overdoses, fewer recovery options: The opioid epidemic through the eyes of Pittsburgh-area recovery workers
A woman in Homewood, who lost her daughter to an overdose, has been handing out bags filled with fried chicken, recovery pamphlets, and Narcan, but the pandemic has made it harder for those suffering from addiction to get help due to social distancing, canceled support groups, and fewer people attending virtual recovery meetings.
Event to rally South Pittsburgh against opioid epidemic
The South Pittsburgh Opioid Action Coalition is holding a community resource fair called “Coming Together to End the Epidemic” tonight at Tree of Life Open Bible Church. The event will feature 20 organizations that help those affected by the opioid epidemic and is open to anyone living with addiction, affected by a relative’s addiction, recovering from drug use, or concerned with the epidemic. Dinner and childcare will be provided. The South Pittsburgh neighborhoods have been hit hard by the opioid epidemic since 2015, with numerous overdoses occurring in the area.
How Pittsburgh neighborhood became region’s overdose capital
Carrick, Pittsburgh’s fifth-most-populous neighborhood, has been hard hit by the opioid crisis, with high levels of poverty, dislocation, and dysfunction fueling addiction, and experts suggest repurposing institutions like schools and churches and offering help to families with newborns to address the crisis.
Brookline gathering focuses on solutions to addiction
The South Pittsburgh Opioid Action Coalition held an event in Brookline to discuss possible solutions to the opioid crisis, attended by local advocacy groups and residents from communities including Brookline, Beechview and Carrick, which have been particularly affected by the epidemic.
Naloxone used more than 1,400 times by Pittsburgh first responders in 2016
Natalia Rudiak, a departing Pittsburgh City Councilwoman, has called for renewed emphasis on the opioid epidemic and more action from the city, citing the Department of Public Safety’s statistic that naloxone was used more than 1,400 times by first responders in Pittsburgh in 2016 alone.
Isolation, overdoses, fewer recovery options: The opioid epidemic through the eyes of Pittsburgh-area recovery workers
Public Source | 31/08/2020
A woman in Homewood, who lost her daughter to an overdose, has been handing out bags filled with fried chicken, recovery pamphlets, and Narcan, but the pandemic has made it harder for those suffering from addiction to get help due to social…
How Local Organizations Are Adapting To Meet Opioid Crisis Challenges During The Pandemic
Post Gazette | 14/12/2017
The South Pittsburgh Opioid Action Coalition is holding a community resource fair called “Coming Together to End the Epidemic” tonight at Tree of Life Open Bible Church. The event will feature 20 organizations that help those affected by…
How Pittsburgh neighborhood became region’s overdose capital
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | 11/11/2017
Carrick, Pittsburgh’s fifth-most-populous neighborhood, has been hard hit by the opioid crisis, with high levels of poverty, dislocation, and dysfunction fueling addiction, and experts suggest repurposing institutions like schools and churches and…
Brookline gathering focuses on solutions to addiction
Post Gazette | 01/12/2017
The South Pittsburgh Opioid Action Coalition held an event in Brookline to discuss possible solutions to the opioid crisis, attended by local advocacy groups and residents from communities including Brookline, Beechview and Carrick, which…