There's a growing heroin overdose problem in Massachusetts.
There has been as many as 11 drug overdose deaths this month in the Worcester area alone. The latest suspected overdose came Sunday morning when a man died at an Auburn hotel.
The death comes as Worcester Police are receiving more doses of a drug called Narcan, which can help reverse the symptoms of an overdose and gives medical professionals a chance to save lives.
Joanne Peterson is on the front lines in the battle against drug addiction.
As founder and executive director of Learn to Cope, a support network for families dealing with addiction and recovery, Peterson said there needs to be more education on opiate addiction.
"This has been going on for many years. It's just grown a lot larger and there's more focus on it because it is an epidemic. It has been for a very long time," she said.
Peterson says Massachusetts is on the forefront of fighting it.
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"Some states don't even have this education. Some don't even know what Narcan is," she said.
