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Fentanyl deaths are plunging, but it’s just the first step

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Elena (left) and Vadim live on the street in Kensington, a neighborhood of Philadelphia that has long struggled with fentanyl and other drug use. Both told NPR they have survived their drug use, in part, due to naloxone, or Narcan, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. NPR agreed not to use their last name because street drug use is illegal.

The deadliest phase of the U.S. fentanyl crisis appears to be over. That's according to new research showing fatal overdoses from fentanyl and other street drugs continue to plunge and have now dropped from their peak in all 50 states.
But with that good news comes with challenges including caring for a larger population of people, who are surviving, but may be deeply unwell.
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(Image credit: Rachel Wisniewski)

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