BONUS: Overdose and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Dr. Chinazo Cunningham and the Challenges of Providing Patient-Centered Treatment During the Pandemic
Treatment for opioid use disorder can be highly effective in preventing overdoses, but only if it’s easily accessible. Last spring, Dr. Chinazo Cunningham’s health clinic in the South Bronx found itself in the “epicenter of the epicenter” of the COVID-19 outbreak that devastated New York. Dr. Cunningham talks with guest host Brendan Saloner about how the clinic adapted to continue providing patient-centered care during shutdowns, the uptick in overdoses in 2020 that predated the pandemic, and the need for urgent policy changes from the Biden administration to stem the opioid epidemic.