Responding to opioid overdose in Rhode Island: where the medical community has gone and where we need to go.

The number of opioid overdose events in Rhode Island has increased dramatically/catastrophically in the last decade; Rhode Island now has one of the highest per capita overdose death rates in the country. Healthcare professionals have an important role to play in the reduction of unintentional opioid overdose events. This article explores the medical community's response to the local opioid overdose epidemic and proposes strategies to create a more collaborative and comprehensive response. We emphasize the need for improvements in preventing, identifying and treating opioid addiction, providing overdose education and ensuring access to the rescue medicine naloxone.