FORT WORTH -- President Obama announced new initiatives Wednesday to battle the epidemic of opiate abuse.
He wants $1.1 billion to be distributed to states.
Maybe you don't personally see the effects of opiate addiction, but medical examiners do.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner reported 122 opioid-related deaths in 2014, and 118 last year. In other words, about 10 deaths a month, on average.
"The lack of insurance is a huge obstacle,” Dr. Harold Urschel said Wednesday. He is an addiction psychiatrist with Enterhealth.
Dr. Urschel said insurance companies are not yet covering effective new treatments.
"We have another treatment that's just about to come out where we can implant a very small pellet in the arm that will deliver four months of medication that takes away cravings and blocks heroin from working,” he said.
Urschel and other experts say the problem is compounded by a lack of treatment beds. According to Tarrant County MHMR, its Pine Street center is the only one in 13 counties that is fully government-funded, no insurance required.
"In DFW, my guess is we're probably looking at about 25,000 to 30,000 patients a year,” Dr. Urschel said. “A huge number not getting treatments."
He says most of his patients started with prescription pain killers and moved on to heroin when they could no longer get or afford prescription opioids.