Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Addiction Meds Tend Not To Be Given To Adolescents Seeking Care: Study
Stat: Teens Seeking Addiction Care Unlikely To Get Standard Medication
Adolescents who seek treatment for opioid addiction at an inpatient facility are more likely to be offered horseback riding than given full access to a common, highly effective addiction medication. According to a new research paper, just one out of every eight residential treatment facilities open to patients ages 16 or 17 offers full access to buprenorphine. By contrast, nearly two-thirds of adult treatment facilities offer the medication. (Facher, 6/13)
CNN: People Who Are Gay, Lesbian Or Bi Have More Mental Health And Substance Use Problems, Survey Finds
Despite increasing acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community, at least in some circles, adults who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual are more likely than those who identify as straight to have serious thoughts of suicide and mental health conditions including major depressive episodes, and they are more likely to misuse substances like alcohol or drugs, according to a new US government report. (Christensen, 6/13)
Also —
Stat: ‘The Drug Bust Paradox’: Study Finds Opioid Deaths Rise After Arrests
Police drug busts are strongly associated with a large and sudden spike in overdose deaths, according to a new study. In the week following a major opioid bust, fatal overdoses in the same neighborhood in Indianapolis doubled, the analysis showed. Calls to 911 and the use of naloxone, the overdose-reversal medication, also spiked. (Facher, 6/13)
San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Mayor Breed Defends Controversial Move To Arrest Drug Users
Mayor London Breed fiercely defended her controversial policy to arrest and detain drug users to get them into treatment against criticism from Supervisor Dean Preston on Tuesday, calling him a “white man who’s talking about Black and brown people as if you’re the savior.” (Moench, 6/13)
