It takes just three days of opioid use to put a person at significantly greater risk of developing an addiction. And once a person is addicted, it can be hard to find adequate help. During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, it got harder still, which may help explain the explosive rise in opioid deaths.
Jayme Walters is an assistant professor in the Department of Social Work at Utah State University, where her work is focused on poverty, social service capacity, and the well being of social workers. And she's the co-author of a recent study on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on opioid support services.