Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Big Opioid Trial Nears A Close; Overdoses 'Seem To Hit Everyone' In Georgia
AP: Testimony Nears End In WVa Suit Against Opioid Distributors
A landmark civil trial could be winding down in West Virginia against three large opioid distributors accused of fueling a local opioid crisis, as attorneys for the defendants indicated they expect to wrap up their case one month ahead of schedule. While the federal bench trial in the lawsuit filed by Cabell County and the city of Huntington against distributors AmerisourceBergen Drug Co., Cardinal Health Inc. and McKesson Corp. had been scheduled to last through mid-August, company attorneys said Thursday they expect to finish questioning witnesses next week, The Herald-Dispatch reported. (7/9)
Georgia Health News: ‘Perfect Storm’: An Opioid Menace Like Never Before
There’s no real profile for the victims. They don’t appear to fit into any particular economic, racial or ethnic grouping. The rising numbers of opioid overdoses “seem to hit everyone,’’ says Dr. Dan McCollum, an emergency medicine physician at Augusta University Medical Center. “It hits all economic strata.’’ Even age is no longer the factor it used to be. Overdose patients coming into ERs are increasingly middle-aged and older, as compared to youthful drug users in past decades, he said Friday. (Miller, 7/9)
The Parkersburg News And Sentinel: Parkersburg Officials Propose Moratorium On Drug Treatment Facilities
No new residential drug treatment facilities would be permitted in the city for nearly a year under an ordinance before Parkersburg City Council on Tuesday. Scheduled for first reading at the 7:30 p.m. regular meeting, the ordinance imposes a moratorium on the establishment of group residential facilities or group residential homes through June 30. “We just need to put a finger in the dike, so to speak,” Mayor Tom Joyce said. Joyce said he’s not against rehab facilities, but the ordinance says approximately 19 percent of licensed substance abuse treatment beds in West Virginia are within the city limits of Parkersburg. However, the city accounts for less than 2 percent of the state’s population. (Bevins, 7/9)
The New York Times: Alcohol Abuse Is On The Rise. Here's Why Doctors Fail To Treat It.
Last month, a nationwide study by researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that about 80 percent of people who met the criteria for alcohol use disorder had visited a doctor, hospital or medical clinic for a variety of reasons in the previous year. Roughly 70 percent of those people were asked about their alcohol intake. Yet just one in 10 were encouraged to cut back on their drinking by a health professional, and only 6 percent received any form of treatment. (O'Connor, 7/12)
