Dr. Jennifer Sharpe Potter, PhD, MPH, professor of psychiatry and vice dean for research in the Long School of Medicine, says it’s not surprising to see the uptick in opioid overdoses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She explains the pandemic brought two key ingredients that can lead to overdoses: social isolation and financial woes.
Her team at UT Health San Antonio encountered people in desperate need and got people into care.
“These are a group of people, when they’re struggling, who are often falling through the cracks,” Dr. Sharpe Potter says.