Cover 2 Resources by Cover 2 Resources

12.01.2020

Ep. 276 - Strike Force Stops Flow of Illicit Opioids

In October 2018, the Justice Department's Criminal Division created the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid (ARPO), Strike Force. This team consists of federal agents, prosecutors, and specialists from different government departments. Together, they combine data analytics and law enforcement to spot...

07.24.2020

Ep. 284 - Sentencing The Mastermind

Last February, I interviewed Evan Ratliff, author of The Mastermind. The book tells the story of how lone programmer Paul La Roux, built an online drug empire responsible for dumping millions of pain pills into the U.S. La Roux enticed...

07.11.2020

Ep. 283 - Obscure Treatment Could be The Final Fix for Addiction

For the last few months, I’ve been covering COVID-19’s impact on the opioid crisis. With overdoses up 42% in May alone, it’s projected 75,000 additional lives will be lost to alcohol and drug overdose because of the pandemic. One resource that...

07.02.2020

Ep. 282 - The Impact of COVID-19 on the Opioid Crisis

Over the last 90 plus days, much has changed in our world. COVID19 has forced many of us to endure unfamiliar hardships and inconveniences. But our most vulnerable populations, such as those struggling with OUD, have been hit particularly hard...

06.18.2020

Ep. 205 Rerelease - American Fix: Inside the Opioid Addiction Crisis and How to End It.

In 2018, bestselling author Ryan Hampton spoke with me about his struggles with heroin addiction while working as a White House aide and how he become a national advocate for those in recovery. We hope you can join us on June...

06.17.2020

Ep. 220 Rerelease - Dopesick: The Drug Company that Addicted America

Late in 2018, Beth Macy, best selling author of "Dopesick", shared the story of how Virginia became the canary in the coal mine for the opioid epidemic in her 5 part series with me. We hope you can join us on...

05.28.2020

Ep. 281 - A Safer Supply Saves Lives

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) is considered the gold standard for treating opioid use disorder. But it doesn’t work for everyone, and for those unresponsive to MAT, the next use of illicit street drugs could be their last. This month, Staff Sergeant...

05.21.2020

Ep. 280 - When Keeping Secrets Costs Lives

On May 14th Greg received an email from Elaine, a Montgomery County Maryland Resident. She shared the story of her brother Alan who had struggled with addiction, recovery, and relapse for much of his life. Less than a month ago, his...

05.01.2020

Ep. 279 - Home Test Kits: DFCA's Innovative Response to a Pandemic

In today’s episode of the Cover2, PPT podcast, we continue revisiting some of the People, Places, and Things we’ve profiled in earlier episodes. We’re touching base to see how the Coronavirus has changed the way they’re making a difference in...

04.23.2020

Ep. 278 - Adapting Peer Recovery for a Pandemic

Three years ago, we profiled AnchorEd, an innovative initiative, developed in Rhode Island. This program enables peer recovery coaches to meet with overdose victims before their release from the hospital. In March, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic sent everyone into lockdown. To...

03.26.2020

Ep. 277 - Rapid Changes to Opioid Treatment Driven by COVID-19

Last week, a STAT News article titled “Covid-19 will worsen the opioid overdose crisis if we don’t prepare now,” stated that, “Missing from the national discussion on the coronavirus has been another vulnerable group: patients with opioid use disorder. Despite...

03.03.2020

Ep. 275 - Drug Czar Unpacks Our National Opioid Epidemic Strategy

In its latest Strategy Report, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) shared its strategy for building a stronger, healthier, drug-free society. To reach this goal, the ONDCP details three tactics for fighting the opioid epidemic. First, continue to...

02.28.2020

Ep. 274 - Treatment Breakthrough: The ER Addiction Stabilization Unit

In June 2017, Dr. Belma Andric, Chief Medical Officer of the Health District of Palm Beach County, Florida, joined Greg on the Cover2 podcast. She shared a unique pilot program that started Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for overdose victims right...

02.14.2020

Ep. 273 - The Mastermind Behind the World’s Largest Online Drug Cartel

Since 1995, when the FDA approved OxyContin, igniting an opioid crisis, many bad actors have emerged willing to do almost anything to make a buck off the insatiable demand for opioids in our country. But none less known, and more...

02.06.2020

Ep. 272 - MOMS Plus: New Program to Lower NAS Rates

Between 2004 and 2011, opioid abuse and dependence among delivering mothers in Ohio grew by 491%. As a consequence, cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), where opioid exposed babies experience acute drug withdrawal following birth, became commonplace. Babies who begin their...

02.04.2020

Ep. 271 - In Pain: When No One Knows How to Taper Pain Pills

In 1996, pain became the 5th vital sign in medicine, prompting doctors to rely on opioids for pain treatment. As a result, opioid prescriptions spiked over the next 15 years, causing hundreds of thousands of opioid addictions. While many doctors were...

01.24.2020

Ep. 270 - Insys Therapeutic Execs Sentenced: Will Doctors Be Next?

In February of 2019, we interviewed Palm Beach Post reporters Pat Beall and John Pacenti, about the trial of former executives from opioid manufacturer Insys Therapeutics. They’d been accused of racketeering, bribing doctors to prescribe their high-powered opioid fentanyl spray,...

01.16.2020

Ep 269 - New MLB Drug Testing Policy Could Be a Game Changer

Last July, Major League Baseball fans were shocked when Tyler Skaggs, a rising star pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels, was found dead in his hotel room. The toxicology report indicated Skaggs had oxycodone, fentanyl and alcohol in his system,...

01.06.2020

Ep 268 - Rudy Giuliani & The Lost Opportunity to Make Them Pay

In 2006, Purdue Pharma was under fire for falsely advertising the addictiveness of its opioid, OxyContin. Many families believed that handcuffs were the only justifiable punishment, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) seemed to agree. Yet, somehow Giuliani Partners...

12.31.2019

Our Favorite Episode from 2019: FDA Missteps that Helped Fuel Our Nation’s Health Crisis

In 2019 we released 45 new podcasts covering books from best-selling authors such as Dopesick from Beth Macy and American Overdose from Chris McGreal, to important developments such as the MDL and the J&J Oklahoma trial and people making headlines...

12.19.2019

Ep. 266 - Don't Live in Denial, Ohio

Ohio has one of the highest opioid overdose death rates in the entire nation. Despite research from the Ohio Opioid Education Alliance revealing that most Ohio parents are aware of this, they still underestimate the risk opioids pose to their...

12.13.2019

Ep. 265 - Drug & Alcohol Prevention Targets At-Risk Personality Types

For years now, schools across the U.S. have been striving to implement more effective drug abuse prevention and education programs to protect adolescents from alcohol & drug abuse. However, despite investing millions of dollars into prevention programs such as D.A.R.E and...

12.04.2019

Ep. 264 - Beth Macy & Emily Martinez: Finding Tess

Earlier this year, Greg interviewed bestselling author Beth Macy in a series on her book, Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America. It’s a compelling account of the opioid epidemic in our country and profiles the over twenty-year...

11.26.2019

Ep. 263 - Deconstructing the Addicted Mind: Dr. Nicole Labor

It’s difficult for a non-addicted person to rationalize the addicted mind, and the societal stigmatism around addiction doesn’t make that any easier. How can they keep making these decisions if they know they’re wrong, and why won’t they make choices...

11.22.2019

Ep. 262 - Akron Film Brings Opioid Crisis to the Silver Screen

Four years ago, actor, writer, and Akron Ohio native, Jeremie Campbell, was unaware that the opioid crisis was continuing to ravage his hometown. Following his high school graduation, the former all-state football player left Akron for Hollywood. In part...

11.18.2019

Ep. 261 - The True Cost of the Opioid Crisis

In August, a closely watched Oklahoma opioid trial concluded. Johnson & Johnson was found guilty of deceptive marketing practices and public nuisance, the judge awarded the state $572 Million to cover the first year of abatement. However, the judge later announced...

11.04.2019

Ep. 260 - ResultsOhio: Funding Programs That Get Results

You wouldn’t pay for something without knowing what you were getting, but all too often, our tax dollars are spent on programs without accountability for results. With the new ResultsOhio initiative, led by state Treasurer Robert Sprague, Ohio is looking...

10.25.2019

Ep. 259 - Unpacking The Settlement in The Ohio Bellwether MDL Case in Cleveland

On October 21st, just as a landmark opioid trial was about to begin, a $260 million settlement was reached. The deal negotiated between three major opioid distributors, one opioid manufacturer, and Cuyahoga and Summit Country Ohio, resulted in a combination...

10.22.2019

Ep. 258 - Saving Lives from Opioid Overdoses – Part 2: Innovations in Harm Reduction

Last week, in part 1 of our series on harm reduction, Dr. Jeffrey Singer talked with us about the current state of Naloxone in America, and how to get it to those in need. Today, in the 2nd part of this...

10.10.2019

Ep. 257 - Saving Lives from Opioid Overdoses - Part 1: The Naloxone Policy Discussion

As a regular listener of our podcast, you know that Naloxone can revive an unconscious overdose victim, and stabilize them until proper medical help arrives. 130 people die in our country every day from an opioid overdose, and many deaths could...

09.26.2019

Ep. 256 - The Data Big Pharma Doesn’t Want You to Know – Part 2

This past August, we started our two-part series covering the public release of the ARCOS data, the DEA’s virtual roadmap to the opioid epidemic. Today, we finish that coverage with Washington Post Investigative Reporter Scott Higham. Scott is a Pulitzer Prize-winning...

09.20.2019

Ep. 255 - David Siegel & The Opioid Pandemic- Part 2

Last time on the Cover2 Podcast, David Siegel, the CEO of Westgate Resorts, shared how the opioid epidemic changed his family forever when it took the life of his daughter Victoria. With a new purpose, David decided to tackle the pandemic...

09.17.2019

Ep. 254 - David Siegel & The Opioid Pandemic- Part 1

Since we began this podcast series three and a half years ago, we’ve met some amazing people doing incredible work, each making a difference in the opioid epidemic in their own way. Today’s guest is no exception. What sets him...

09.05.2019

Ep. 253 - The Right Way to Spend Billions in Settlement Money

This Summer there’s been a great deal of news on the opioid lawsuit in Oklahoma and the MDL here in Cleveland. We’ve heard how communities and native tribes thought the country have suffered at the hands of the pharmaceutical industry,...

08.30.2019

Ep. 252 - Introducing a Community of First Responders (Everyone Has a Role!)

First Responders have 6 minutes to make it to an overdose victim and begin administering life-saving Narcan. Sadly, that’s not always possible. The Community of First Responders Initiative is about making Narcan available in public spaces and linking Narcan Carriers...

08.27.2019

Ep. 251 - The Data Big Pharma Doesn’t Want You to Know - Part 1

On July 15th, DEA data covering 2006 to 2012 American opioid sales, was released to the public. The ARCOS data revealed the distribution path of every oxycodone and hydrocodone pill sold in America. A trail of opioids from manufacturers...

08.06.2019

Ep. 250 - The FDA Missteps that Fueled Our Nation’s Health Crisis

Today’s guest, Dr. Andrew Kolodny, is an authority on the opioid epidemic. As a Senior Scientist and, Co-Director of Opioid Policy Research at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Dr. Kolodny has a deep-rooted interest in public health. He...

07.19.2019

Ep. 249 - The First Agency to Sound the Alarm.

While many people in power ignored the mounting evidence of the Opioid Crisis, one leader refused to turn a blind eye. In 2009, fresh from seven years as NYC’s health commissioner, Dr. Tom Frieden was appointed a director of the Center...

07.11.2019

Ep. 248 -Taking Recovery To The Streets

About 21 million Americans struggle with addiction every day, yet only 10 percent receive treatment. While that percentage is unbelievably low, the reality is that traditional methods of aid are inaccessible for many people, even if addicts are ready for...

06.28.2019

Ep. 247 - The Corrupting Influence of Purdue: WHO knew?

As negative press continued to increase for Purdue Pharma and the opioid epidemic, their market in the US began to dwindle. Prescriptions for OxyContin fell more than 40% since 2010, equating to billions lost revenue. The company’s owners, the Sackler...

06.18.2019

Ep. 246 - Lost Lives Lead to New Prevention Programs

In June of 2016, we sat down with Dr. Tom Gilson, the nationally known medical examiner from Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Hoping it might inform and help others, Dr. Gilson reviewed Sam McNeil’s report from the medical examiner of Palm Beach...

06.06.2019

Ep. 245 - Modern-day FDA, What’s New is Still Old

In our three-part series with American Overdose author, Chris McGreal, we took an in-depth look at some of the policies and practices of the FDA that helped lead to our nation’s worst health crisis in history. During the series, I spoke...

05.30.2019

Ep. 244 – Profits Over People - Part 3: Big Pharma, “It’s the patients not the pills”

When award-winning author Chris McGreal sat down to write American Overdose: The Opioid Tragedy in Three Acts, he wanted to answer two questions. The first: How could the opioid crisis go on for nearly 20 years before it reached public...

05.22.2019

Ep. 243 – Profits Over People – Part 2: Industry Influence and Intrigue

To many, how and why the opioid epidemic came about remains a mystery. How did these dangerous and addictive substances earn approval for distribution? Why were these drugs approved if they were clearly so addictive and dangerous? Why has our...

05.16.2019

Ep. 242 – Profits Over People: FDA Opioid Drug Approvals, with Author Chris McGreal

The Opioid epidemic is the deadliest drug crisis in American history, claiming over 350,000 lives since 1999. While many people have an idea of what caused the opioid crisis, few understand the why and how. For example, how did a...

05.10.2019

Ep. 241 – Behind the Scenes of “Heroin’s Grip” a New Documentary, with Director Conrad Weaver

Many people that view addiction from the outside don’t understand the struggle addicts go through and can’t appreciate how addiction impacts their families. To educate people from that perspective, the new documentary, Heroin’s Grip, features the families of Frederick County...

05.09.2019

Ep. 240 – Uncovering Coverage Gaps and Understanding the ACA, with Lindsey Vuolo

In March of 2019 the Center on Addiction, a nonprofit organization committed to supporting families struggling with substance use and addiction, published Uncovering Coverage Gaps II: A Review of Addiction Benefits in ACA Plans. A follow up to their 2016...

05.02.2019

Ep. 239 – Faith Communities Supercharging Recovery, with Dr. Monty Burks

The opioid epidemic has taken a deep toll on families throughout Appalachia. In Tennessee alone, over 1,631 people, (more than five per day), died from a drug overdose in 2016. To respond to such a massive loss of life, Tennessee...

04.24.2019

Ep. 238 – Empowering Families Struggling with Opioid Addiction, with Roy Poillon

While there are many high-quality treatment centers, organizations, and programs for people struggling with opioid addiction, their families often lack the same resources. Opioid use changes the lives of the addict’s family as well as the addict, and many families...

04.17.2019

Ep. 237 - Understanding Purdue Pharma’s Settlement with Oklahoma

On March 26, 2019, the pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma, a high-profile figure in the Opioid Epidemic, agreed to a $270 Million Opioid Settlement with the State of Oklahoma. The money from this settlement will fund a national addiction research and...

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