A new task force has been formed to combat opioid abuse in the state. Earlier this month representatives of state agencies and advocates came together to announce the State of Illinois Opioid Action Plan.
On a cold morning last winter, Christopher Hinds says he woke up early, sick from withdrawal. He called a friend and they trekked across a highway, walking for more than two miles through the snow on a street without sidewalks to buy heroin.
For thousands of moms with opioid addiction, this is their struggle: keeping their disease under control during and after pregnancy, in order to keep their kids.
Nurse Catherine “Bizz” Grimes moves like her name sounds: at a frenetic pace. She darts across the hall from the prenatal diagnosis clinic at Indiana University Health University Hospital in Indianapolis, sits down at her cubicle, puts on her headset over curly white blonde hair and starts dialing.
Charlie Stewart works with doctors and nurses, but he's not in this position thanks to a degree in medicine or social work. He's trained to work with patients and has experience in peer mentorship. He also has a past of drug addiction.
