Driven From Medicine To Ministry By The Opioid Crisis

img_0993.jpg.jpeg — Dr. Thomas Andrew at the WGBH studio at the Boston Public Library on Tuesday, November 7.

Molly Boigon is a former associate producer and reporter for Learning Curve, WGBH’s K-12 education desk. She has also worked for Boston Public Radio and WGBH’s higher education desk, On Campus. Her interests include jazz, yoga and public records requests. Before joining WGBH, she worked at SiriusXM, WZBC and WAAF. She has a degree in Applied Psychology and Human Development from Boston College’s Lynch School of Education.

November 07, 2017

Twenty years ago, when Dr. Thomas Andrew became New Hampshire's chief medical examiner, there were between 30 and 40 drug overdose deaths per year.

Last year, Andrew had to perform autopsies on about half of the nearly 500 people who died of drug overdoses in New Hampshire.

Andrew found it harder and harder throughout his career to keep up with the caseloads, and after 20 years, he decided to work to prevent those deaths from happening in the first place.

He retired last month, and he plans to pursue a divinity degree to minister young people to stay away from drugs.

To hear Andrew's interview in its entirety, click on the audio player above.