President Trump declares the opioid crisis a nationwide public health emergency
KENSINGTON (WTXF) - President Trump declared the opioid crisis, "...A National Public Health Emergency..."
William Chapin roams the streets in Kensington, armed with the life-saving drug Narcan.
"You could end up using 4 of these a day with all the drugs going around. It's an epidemic," says William Chapin of Project Soul.
The President's declaration is good news for these recovering addicts, Ramon and Rick. They're members of Mayor Kenny's opioid task force.
Ramon Cruz says the spotlight helps, "It's a start. We have to get rid of the stigma of this. I believe it opens the doors for education."
"If you want to make America great and call this a crisis let's start at the bottom," says Rick Ford.
People here say emergency action can't come soon enough.
"We don't have a safe injection site in Philly. People are forced to go to the street in between cars just doing whatever they can," says William Chapin.