(1/22/2013)

Drug abuse becomes the leading cause of death among the homeless
Examiner
January 16, 2013

A new study conducted on Boston’s homeless reveal that overdosing on heroin and other prescription drugs has surpassed AIDS as the number one killer in the homeless population.  The study was conducted on homeless individuals in urban centers who had received treatment at Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. According to Dr. Travis Baggett of Massachusetts General Hospital, “the tripling in the rate of death by drug overdose reflects an overall rise in pain-killer abuse. This trend is happening across the country, in non-homeless populations too. Homeless people tend to experience in a magnified way the health issues that are going on in the general population.”

View the full article here: http://www.examiner.com/article/drug-abuse-becomes-the-leading-cause-of-death-among-the-homeless

Keywords: drug, abuse, death, homeless