Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
British Gallery Latest Institution To Give Sackler Family's Charitable Arm The Cold Shoulder Over Role In Opioid Crisis
The New York Times: British Gallery Turns Down $1.3 Million Sackler Donation
Britain’s National Portrait Gallery said Tuesday that it was not accepting a long-discussed $1.3 million donation from a charitable arm of the Sackler family. The decision, reached by mutual agreement between the gallery and the Britain-based Sackler Trust, is the latest sign of the changing climate in the art world toward the family, which has links to the opioid crisis. Members of the family own Purdue Pharma, which makes OxyContin. (Marshall, 3/19)
The Wall Street Journal: London Museum Will Forgo Donation From Purdue Pharma’s Sackler Family
The London gallery had been reviewing the pledge, which was originally granted in 2016, as part of its standard process, a spokeswoman said. On Tuesday, the gallery, home to one of the largest collections of portraits in the world, and the trust said in a statement that the funding wouldn’t go forward. It had been intended for the Inspiring People project, the largest fundraising and development effort since the gallery’s building opened in 1896. “It has become evident that recent reporting of allegations made against Sackler family members may cause this new donation to deflect the National Portrait Gallery from its important work. The allegations against family members are vigorously denied, but to avoid being a distraction for the NPG, we have decided not to proceed at this time with the donation,” a representative for the trust said in a statement on the gallery’s website. (Hopkins, 3/19)
Stat: Plan For Sackler Family Gift To London National Portrait Gallery Is Dropped
Museums have faced increasing pressure over their acceptance of money from the Sackler family. Activist and photographer Nan Goldin, who has staged high-profile protests at museums and galleries bearing the Sackler name, has said she would not work with the National Portrait Gallery on a possible project if it took money from the Sackler Trust. At a protest last month at the Sackler Center for Arts Education at the Guggenheim in New York City, activists handed out fake prescriptions featuring emails from Richard Sackler, Purdue’s former president. The emails were uncovered amid an ongoing lawsuit by the state of Massachusetts against Purdue and some of the Sackler family. (Thielking, 3/19)
In other news on the epidemic —
NPR: Addiction Medicine Lures A New Generation Of Idealistic Doctors
The U.S. surgeon general's office estimates that more than 20 million people have a substance-use disorder. Meanwhile, the nation's drug overdose crisis shows no sign of slowing. Yet, by all accounts, there aren't nearly enough physicians who specialize in treating addiction — doctors with extensive clinical training who are board certified in addiction medicine. The opioid epidemic has made this doctor deficit painfully apparent. And it's spurring medical institutions across the United States to create fellowships for aspiring doctors who want to treat substance-use disorders with the same precision and science as other diseases. (Stone, 3/19)
Columbus Dispatch: Advocates Blast Licking County Health Board's Decision To Ban Needle-Exchange Programs
Protesters questioned the Licking County Board of Health on Tuesday night about why the board suddenly voted last month to ban all needle-exchange programs in the county. On Feb. 19, the board voted 8-0, with two members absent, to ban programs countywide after holding an executive session. The needle-exchange program was not on the meeting’s agenda, and there was no public discussion on the issue at the meeting. (Hendrix, 3/19)
St. Louis Public Radio: St. Louis Group Uses Retired Ambulance To Fight Addiction On The Street
The Missouri Network For Opiate Reform and Recovery will use the vehicle to dispense the overdose-reversal drug naloxone to active drug users and those in recovery. It also provides testing for sexually transmitted diseases such as hepatitis C and HIV and information about treatment programs. (Fentem, 3/19)
The New York Times: Wendy Williams Announces On TV She Is ‘Living In A Sober House’
The daytime talk show host Wendy Williams announced on her show on Tuesday that she was in rehab and staying in a sober-living facility. “You know me for being a very open and truthful person, and I’ve got more to the story for you,” Ms. Williams said to the camera, her voice breaking, while standing in the audience. “For some time now, and even today and beyond, I have been living in a sober house,” Ms. Williams said, holding back tears. (Garcia, 3/19)
