April 1, 2018 Mount Holyoke News Health & Science The national opioid epidemic spreads west, claiming lives in Pioneer Valley April 1, 2018 Mount Holyoke News Health & Science BY TESS REMICK ’21The U.S. is facing the most lethal opioid crisis in its history. Between 2002 and 2016, the number of deadly overdoses related to heroin increased by 533 percent nationwide, according to CNN.