By Sujata Dand, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-611260.mp3
Dallas, TX –
Sujata Dand, Reporting: More than two dozen children have died in Dallas County after taking a lethal dose of cheese. The highly addictive street drug is a mix of black tar heroin and common cold medicine, and is sold for around 2 dollars a hit. Dallas County Commissioner Ken Mayfield says the number of families seeking treatment for addicted children is far greater than existing resources.
Ken Mayfield, Dallas County Commissioner: We have kids out there that don't have insurance and can't afford to pay for treatment who really need treatment and they're not going to get better unless they get residential treatment, so, until that happens they're going to remain and we'll have others who will continue to get addicted.
Dand: Mayfield says Dallas County needs to double the number of beds in its three licensed residential treatment facilities to adequately deal with the problem. He hopes the state will respond to the County's needs before school begins in mid-August. That's when treatment centers expect to see a surge in admissions. Sujata Dand, for KERA News.