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Baltimore’s overdose crisis

They entered treatment. Drugs, overdoses and deaths followed.

Baltimore addiction programs draw patients with free housing while collecting millions. Some say one program—PHA Healthcare—offered little help.

Alissa Zhu, Jessica Gallagher and Meredith Cohn
Amanda Vlakos was found dead of an overdose in September while enrolled in PHA Healthcare, a recovery program that offered free housing.

Video

The Banner and reporters from its partner newsrooms reflect on the overdose crisis

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    About this project

    The reporters examined Baltimore’s response to rising overdose deaths as part of The New York Times Local Investigations Fellowship.

    Reporting by Alissa Zhu, Nick Thieme and Jessica Gallagher. Additional reporting by Cadence Quaranta, Emily Sullivan and Adam Willis, and Cheryl Phillips and Eric Sagara of Big Local News. Additional research by Susan C. Beachy and Kirsten Noyes.

    Photography and photo layout by Jessica Gallagher and Ariel Zambelich. Design, video and web production for The Baltimore Banner by Ryan Little, Emma Patti Harris and Zuri Berry. Audience, social and reader engagement by T.J. Ortenzi, Stokely Baksh and Krishna Sharma. Video and web production for The New York Times by Leo Dominguez, Rebecca Suner and Claire Hogan. Graphics by Molly Cook Escobar, Scott Reinhard and Nick Thieme.

    Editing by The New York Times, Kimi Yoshino, Richard Martin, Ryan Little and Emma Patti Harris.

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