Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a way to help identify people at risk of overdosing on stimulants, including cocaine and methamphetamine.

"We wanted a tool that would help us predict people at high risk in order to be able to provide them with the services and interventions and supports," said Dr. Rebecca Arden Harris, who specializes in addiction medicine and research at Penn. MORE: Even smoking a few cigarettes a day drastically increases risk of heart disease

Harris and colleagues used data from more than 70 million Medicaid recipients to track emergency department visits related to stimulant overdoses. Then the team identified key risk factors, including diagnosis of substance use disorders, prior overdoses, higher poverty rates, crowded housing and be

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