How deep-rooted medical bias creates deadly consequences for addiction patients

Addiction treatments are safe, effective — and rarely offered to patients. That's because many doctors and nurses still view people with alcohol or drug addiction with suspicion and hostility.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1892x1582+0+0/resize/1892x1582!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc9%2F50%2F656f7951468e9e923ff831f2ea7b%2Fmilwaukie-1.jpg' alt='In bodycam footage released by the Milwaukie Police Department, 26-year-old Jean Descamps can be seen in a hospital bed at the Providence Milwaukie Hospital emergency room in Milwaukie, Ore., in December 2023. Soon after he was discharged by the hospital, Descamps died from drugs already in his system.'/><p>Addiction treatments are safe, effective — and rarely offered to patients. That's because many doctors and nurses still view people with alcohol or drug addiction with suspicion and hostility.</p><p>(Image credit: Milwaukie Police Department)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5845162' />