Healthwatch With Dr. Leana Wen: Opioid Crisis; Corner Food Stores; Doulas

It?s another edition of the Midday Healthwatch , our monthly conversation with Baltimore City Health Commissioner, Dr. Leana Wen . According to the latest estimate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 142 Americans die every day from a drug overdose -- more than 50,000 people every year. The majority of these deaths, now surging in more than 30 states, are being caused by powerful illicit opioid drugs like heroin and fentanyl , and widely-used prescription painkillers like o xycodone and percocet. We?ll be talking today about the President?s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis -- a 5-member commission established last March and chaired by New Jersey governor Chris Christie. Last week, the Commission issued an interim report that calls on the White House to declare the surging drug abuse problem ?a national emergency,? noting that more Americans are now dying from fatal drug overdoses than from car crashes and gun violence. The report'sEmail us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.