WESTPORT — After 21 years of work as North Country Public Radio’s first Adirondack bureau chief, Brian Mann has been recruited to a new position at NPR.

He’ll work first to help the network cover the COVID-19 crisis and will then serve as the network’s first full-time correspondent focused on addiction-related issues.

“This is obviously a heartbreaking, challenging moment,” Mann said. “I look forward to helping NPR tell stories that really help people.”

Although Mann will leave NCPR, he won’t leave the North Country. He will continue to work from his home in Westport.

“Brian will still be heard regularly on our airwaves through the national programs we carry on North Country Public Radio,” said NCPR News Director David Sommerstein. “We’re proud of Brian’s chance to help with national coverage in this difficult time and glad he’ll be a part of our North Country world going forward.”

As quickly as possible following the current public health crisis, Mann will pivot to cover the science, policy and human impact of addiction, building on his work over the last two years.

“With the generous endorsement of North Country Radio, Brian has been reporting frequently on NPR on addiction and many of the lawsuits around the country. We are delighted that he will be joining us and will be able to devote his attention to the critical national beat full-time,” said Edith Chapin, executive editor of NPR.

“NCPR listeners have been rewarded for more than two decades with Brian’s reporting,” said Mitch Teich, NCPR station manager. “It’s sad that we’ll lose one of the most familiar voices in the region, but I’m delighted for Brian and delighted that listeners around the country will hear more of his remarkable work.”

In addition to covering the Adirondack Park and its communities, Mann has contributed to coverage of breaking news coverage around the U.S., from historic flooding in Houston to mass shootings in Las Vegas and Parkland, Florida.

Over the past year, Brian has covered litigation against pharmaceutical companies stemming from the national opioid crisis, positioning him to tackle the addiction beat. “Our coverage will examine how communities, scientists and civic leaders are grappling with addiction in the U.S. and abroad,” Mann explained.

“My family has been deeply damaged by addiction,” Mann added. “I lost my father and my step-brother to substance abuse. I’m excited by the challenge of breaking down some of the stigma around this part of our lives and helping people talk about addiction more factually.”

Mann has won several Edward R. Murrow awards and is the author of the 2006 book “Welcome to the Homeland.” He will continue working for NCPR through the end of April and begins his tenure at NPR on May 11.