Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
27 Overdoses In 24 Hours: Opioid Crisis Grips An Ohio City
Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Hit By 27 Heroin Overdoses In 24-Hour Span
In a 24-hour span that lasted into early Wednesday dealers across the city released a crushing dose of heroin into the city, choking the city’s safety forces. Authorities say 27 people had overdosed on heroin across the city on Tuesday into early Wednesday. (Sullivan, 9/29)
Columbus Dispatch: Democrat Lawmakers Urge Kasich To Declare Heroin Emergency
As Ohio continues to endure unprecedented waves of heroin overdoses, including 27 in Columbus in a 24-hour period this week, legislative Democrats again urged Gov. John Kasich to declare a state of emergency on Tuesday. ... Democrats want the governor to declare a state of emergency on the heroin epidemic, allowing for the release of at least $300 million from the state’s $2 billion-plus rainy day fund to help communities deal with the crisis. (Siegel, 9/28)
And in Pennsylvania and Florida —
The Philadelphia Inquirer: For Wolf, Opioid Crisis Offers Chance To Flex Political Muscle
Gov. Wolf has called it a public health crisis and an epidemic, crisscrossing Pennsylvania for more than a year to participate in roundtables and work sessions on how to combat prescription drug and heroin addiction. On Wednesday, he used his office's bully pulpit to address a joint session of the legislature and urge lawmakers to swiftly pass bills aimed at fighting the problem - his boldest public move yet to focus attention on opioid abuse. (Couloumbis, 9/29)
Health News Florida: Bondi Announces Ban On Synthetic Drug
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday announced an emergency rule to ban a type of synthetic drug that she said has caused multiple deaths in Florida. The rule targets a drug known as U-47700, which Bondi's office said is usually found in powder or granular form but also can be made into a pill that appears like a prescription drug. It also can be found in liquid form and as a nasal spray. (9/28)
