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    Coming: 7-part series on the opioid epidemic

Opioid tablets lying on a prescription form
Each day, 78 people in the U.S. die of opioid overdoses, and more than 1,000 are treated in emergency departments for opioid misuse, federal figures show. Since 1999, the rate of overdose deaths involving opioids, including prescription opioid pain relievers and heroin, has nearly quadrupled. In a series of broadcast-quality, 60-second videos available for media use, Mayo Clinic anesthesiologist and pain medicine expert Dr. W. Michael Hooten and gastroenterologist Dr. Michael Camilleri discuss the opioid epidemic and the dangers associated with inappropriate use of prescription pain medication.

The first of the seven-part series will be available on the Mayo Clinic News Network beginning Thursday, Dec. 15.

Watch: Opioid series promo

Journalists: If you are interested in airing the series and promoting it, the broadcast-quality video of this promo is in the downloads.

To interview Drs. Hooten or Camilleri, contact Sharon Theimer, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, at newsbureau@mayo.edu or 507-284-5005.

The series originally was published in August 2016. Each video is a stand-alone news segment.