KTAR News, others to air 30-minute special on opiate addiction on Tuesday
Jan 10, 2017, 12:22 PM
(Tommy Farmer/Tennessee Bureau of Investigation via AP)
PHOENIX — KTAR News 92.3 FM and numerous other stations will air ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s “Hooked Rx: From Prescription to Addiction,” a 30-minute investigative report, on Tuesday night.
“Now with Hooked Rx, the great state of Arizona is once again leading the country in an attempt to address the nationwide epidemic of prescription opiate addiction that is needlessly claiming so many lives,” said Sean Walsh, CEO of Meadows Behavioral Health Care and part of the team that inspired the report.
The program will broadcast on 30 TV stations in Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma and 97 state radio stations. The version on Spanish-speaking channels begins at 5 p.m. and the English version will follow at 6:30 p.m.
The Arizona Substance Abuse Partnership, in a joint effort with the Governor’s Office of Youth, will host a call center during the program. The call center will use Arizona’s first statewide treatment provide locator, which will direct people to treatment and recovery facilities.
“If you need help for yourself or a loved one use the substance abuse provider locator or call the hotline,” said Debbie Moak, director of the Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family.
The call center runs from 5-8 p.m. or until calls end. The information is available online at SubstanceAbuse.AZ.gov or RethinkRxAbuse.org.