UPDATE: Del. AG eyes heroin, opioid abuse efforts

progress being made in delaware — in the fight against drug overdoses. the department of justice reports — more than eighty lives have been saved in 2015 thanks to easier access to naxolone — the emergency drug — used to reverse narcotic overdoses. but — more work still needs to be done. 47 a-b-c’s lili zheng joins us live in the studio. lili — you spoke with delaware attorney general matt denn today — who mapped out the scope of the crisis. david — that’s right. in fact — the d-o-j says at one point — delaware had the ninth highest drug overdose rate. and — the nation’s fifth highest overall rate of opioid sales. the problem is — they admit there are still treatment needs going unmet. so — they have recommended three additional areas of focus. track 1 a tightened prescription drug monitoring program. better insurance coverage. and — education. three new recommendations — laid out by the delaware department of justice — to combat the growing problems of drug overdoses. there’s been a slight shift from heroin towards fentanyl 14 but the overall overdose numbers have not improved track 2 between medicaid and the affordable care act — attorney general matt denn explains — most people sufferingfrom substance use disorders are covered by health insurance for treatment. the problem — he says — is that people have reported frustration with treatment options. it’s covered by their insurance but many times, they’re being required to go to a much lower level of treatment and until not until they relapse, they’re able to get a much appropriate level and we just don’t think that’s a good way to approach the problem 35 as a matter of fact, it’s very dangerous track 3 the d-o-j also stresses the importance — of medical providers being notified when their patients overdose on painkillers or are diagnosed with substance abuse problems. david humes — a board member of the grassroots organization attack addiction tells 47 a-b-c — he supports more police departments being equipped with naloxone. it’s used to treat an narcotic overdose in an emergency situation. the feeling is from kent and sussex county…you don’t have the density of population that you have in new castle county and in those two counties, you also don’t have the county police force that you have in new castle county 12 so i think the state police carrying could even save more lives track 4 the ultimate goal — according to denn — is get past just saving lives. but — not overdosing in the first place. we want the numbers down, both because of the impact on the criminal justice system but more importantly just because of the human toll now — we also spoke to the delaware state police. we’re told they are in the early process of training their troopers to carry and administer naloxone — within the next year. david — alright, thank you lili. 47 a-b-c’s lili zheng reporting live in the studio tonight. the salisbury city council will vote next monday — to fill