A pair of new surveys demonstrates the pernicious effect that methamphetamine abuse is having on hospital emergency rooms across the country, the New York Times reported Jan. 18.
Hospitals nationally are reporting increased numbers of people coming to emergency rooms for problems related to meth use, especially in the Midwest, where 70-80 percent of hospitals reported that meth use was responsible for at least 10 percent of their patient loads.
Of the 200 regional and county hospitals responding to the survey, 73 percent reported an increase in meth-related ER visits over the past five years.
Demand for meth treatment has risen 69 percent, hospitals reported, but 63 percent said they did not have the capacity to meet the demand.
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