Viewpoints: Signs Of Progress From Programs Fighting The Opioid Epidemic; Yes, 3,000 People Died In Puerto Rico. ‘My Dad Was One Of Them’

USA Today: Trump Is Fighting The Opioid Crisis And Addiction Threatening America
The scale of America’s opioid crisis can be daunting. The latest numbers show that more than 72,000 Americans died of a drug overdose in 2017, most of them involving opioids. The tragic statistics are a reminder of why President Trump has made combating the opioid crisis a top priority for his presidency. But everywhere the crisis has struck, there are signs of hope and resilience. Earlier this year, I visited a clinic in Dayton, Ohio — one of the hardest hit communities in the country — that treats new mothers struggling with addiction and their infants born physically dependent on opioids. (Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, 9/19)

The Hill: To Combat The Opioid Crisis, We Left The Stigma And Bias At The Door
Cincinnati’s coordinated approach has produced a significant drop in mortality. Not only did we increase Narcan supply throughout the community to ensure immediate access to addiction treatment, we integrated our hospitals into the continuum of addiction care in doing so. What followed was the development and implementation of novel clinical protocols across our community. While we have made progress, there’s a long way to go to ensure these methods are universally embraced and provided the necessary support. An often overlooked factor in creating the enormous gap in appropriately addressing the opioid crisis is that 17 states still haven’t expanded Medicaid. Medicaid covers nearly 4 in 10 non-elderly adults with opioid use disorder and the program supports critical access to comprehensive services, including essential, FDA-approved medications. (Navdeep Kang, 9/17)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Yes, 3,000 Did Die In Puerto Rico Because Of Hurricane Maria.
On Sept. 27, 2017, my father died in the aftermath of the hurricane. He waited in line for 35 hours for gasoline, which he needed to run his generator. While in line, a tank exploded and he inhaled the fumes and smoke. He made it to his front door, collapsed, and died. Puerto Rico is still without power, cell phone service and supplies a week after Hurricane Maria, and it's hard for Clevelanders to check the status of their families there. My father was not part of the original list of the dead. Recently, he and 3,000 others were counted and added to that list, a list that has been disputed by our president .... Like everything else, he sees "this list" as a ploy to make him look bad. (Victor Ruiz, 9/19)

The Washington Post: Tuberculosis Is Curable. So Why Are So Many People Still Dying Of The Disease? 
Tuberculosis remains the world’s most lethal infectious killer. It claims more lives than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined. TB is also a preventable, treatable, curable disease. Clearly there is an enormous gap here. World leaders are expected to address this chasm at the United Nations next week , and they must do more than give speeches. They need to act. (9/18)

The Hill: Big Tobacco Is Marketing Vapes To Our Kids, So Our City Took Them On And Won — It’s The FDA’s Turn Now 
The FDA recently announced that it considers a new surge in teen e-cigarette use to be an epidemic, and will give e-cigarette manufacturers 60 days to prove that they are not marketing to kids. This is a very welcome move for those of us who have been pushing to prevent teen tobacco use. Our city recently took on the makers of e-cigarettes and won. The FDA should take San Francisco's lead and do everything it can to protect kids from Big Tobacco. (Tomas Aragon and Derek Smith, 9/18)

Miami Herald: Single-Payer Healthcare Could Be A Death Sentence For Seniors 
Imagine government bureaucrats in Washington deciding whether your life is worth saving or not. Such a nightmare that could very well become a reality should the Democrats get their way.When the government gets involved in healthcare, it always leads to disaster and death — and “Medicare for All” is the crown jewel of social healthcare programs. (Herman Cain, 9/19)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Cuyahoga County Needs To Look At Recent Spate Of Jail Deaths To See If Conditions, Oversight Can Be Improved
The recent deaths of five inmates in Cuyahoga County custody -- who were being held in either the County Jail or in the Euclid Jail, which is now run by the county - should prompt a deeper investigation, along the lines of one recently undertaken in Summit County, to examine underlying problems for possible preventive measures and programs. Cleveland.com's Adam Ferrise recently reported that the five deaths represent the largest number of Cuyahoga County inmate deaths in a single year since 2009. (9/19)

San Francisco Chronicle: Prop. 71 Funds Are Laying Groundwork For Stem Cell Therapies
In 2004, the voters of California approved Proposition 71, creating the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and setting the state on the path to becoming a global leader in stem cell research. Today the therapies resulting from the institute’s work are not just changing lives — they are already saving lives. (Maria T. Millan and Jonathan Thomas, 9/17)

Sacramento Bee: Moms Need Help From Restaurants To Keep Their Kids Healthy
Now on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk, SB 1192 would require restaurants that offer children’s meals to make the default option on drinks that come with them either water, sparkling water, flavored water without added sweeteners, or unflavored milk. That will help parents like me know that the healthy choice is an easy one, and that our children get the right messages about healthy behaviors. (Donna Norton, 9/18)