Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Young Adult Liver-Related Deaths Rise, Trans Adults Face Higher Risk
Stat: Trans Adults Face 'Shocking' Risk Of Alcohol-Driven Cirrhosis
People under 45 have been driving an increase in liver-related deaths, especially those caused by alcohol. But a sliver of that young adult population is being hit disproportionately hard by alcohol-associated liver disease: transgender people. (Cueto, 7/22)
Carolina Public Press: Advocates: Alcohol Monitoring For Some N.C. Parents Could Save Lives
For months now, Michael Dean Smith said, he has feared his infant daughter will be hurt or killed in a drunk-driving related accident with the mother of his child behind the wheel. Smith, 34, of Waynesville, shares joint custody of his now 15-month-old daughter with Valery Francis, who has primary physical custody. Going back to September, Smith said he warned Haywood County DSS that Francis would drive under the influence of alcohol with their daughter in the car. (Thomae, 7/20)
On the opioid crisis —
San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Nonprofits Give Foil, Pipes To Fentanyl Users. Is It A Good Idea?
Glide Foundation’s center in the Tenderloin helps keep Angelina Pacheco fed and warm, supplying her with hot meals and hand warmers. She appreciates the friendly staff and the fact that the location feels like it’s right in her backyard. Another reason the 41-year-old returns to the nonprofit on a regular basis is to get free pieces of aluminum foil that she uses to smoke fentanyl. (Stein, 7/20)
The New York Times: Could Mobile Methadone Clinics Help People Quit Fentanyl?
Before he started taking methadone, Vinny Parisi had overdosed 16 times from using street drugs, including fentanyl. Eating out of garbage cans and sleeping under a bridge in Harlem, he finally hit bottom, he said. Now, Mr. Parisi goes every weekday morning to an R.V.-size white van parked at a Days Inn in the South Bronx. Within a few minutes, he drinks a bright pink fluid — a dose of methadone — saving him the hours of commuting and waiting it often takes to visit a brick-and-mortar clinic to get the drug. (Otterman, 7/21)
The Desert Sun: It's An Odd Side Effect Of Opioid Abuse: Why Are Fentanyl Users Bent Over. Here's Why
It’s become one of the most startling signs of the fentanyl crisis happening across California: Seemingly zombified drug users slumped over in awkward positions. Alternately called "the fentanyl fold” or "the fentanyl bend over," videos and photos of people reportedly using the drug have spread through social media. If you have ever witnessed what looks like seemingly intoxicated people bent over or frozen in place on sidewalks or in parks, you might be seeing someone in the throes of opioid use. (Ward, 7/19)
