Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Colorado City Faces 'Unusually Violent Spike' Fueled By Heroin Trade
The New York Times: Heroin-Related Violence Mars A Colorado City’s Effort To Recover
The city of Pueblo — a gateway to the Southwest and home to gangs that span generations — is caught up in a wave of violence that has alarmed everyone from the baby gangsters and their families to local and federal officials. Pueblo had 13 homicides in 2014 and another 13 in 2015, giving the city the unfortunate distinction of having the highest per-capita murder rate in the state. At 12 murders per 100,000 people, its homicide incidence is three times that of New York City, and twice that of Brooklyn, New York’s deadliest borough. ... By nearly all accounts, the surge in violence is driven by a phenomenon rolling through communities from Long Island to St. Louis and Los Angeles: a flood of cheap heroin from Mexico and an eager base of customers from a range of economic backgrounds, some of whom switched to the drug after using prescription painkillers. (Turkewitz, 4/7)
The Washington Post: House To Vote On Bills To Combat Opioid Abuse
House Republican leaders plan to hold a vote next month on legislation tackling heroin and painkiller abuse, a key issue to many members whose districts have been hit hard by the opioid epidemic. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announced the plan on Thursday, saying the vote will occur after committees working on the issue complete their work in the next few weeks. (Demirjian, 4/7)
The Huffington Post: Republicans Are Going At Each Other Over A Stalled Heroin Bill
Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio took the floor of the upper chamber Thursday to put pressure on his House colleagues, condemning inaction that has left the Senate’s sweeping heroin legislation to languish. (Grim, 4/7)
As Massachusetts tries to find new ways to tackle its drug crisis, private investors jump in to the treatment business while "safe spaces" are opened in Boston —
NPR: Private Investors Eagerly Enter Addiction Treatment Business
Some private equity investors are getting into the business of substance abuse treatment. They're putting big money into building treatment centers, promising to fundamentally change the industry. It's estimated that 22 million Americans need help with substance abuse. Deborah Becker member station WBUR reports on the huge private equity investment behind eight new facilities in the Northeast. (Becker, 4/7)
CBS News: "Safe Space" For Heroin Addicts Sparks Hope, Controversy
The opioid epidemic is claiming thousands of lives each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 10,000 Americans died of heroin overdoses in 2014 alone. The crisis has hit hard in Massachusetts, where nearly four people are dying each day from opioids. (Craig, 4/7)
Meanwhile towns in New York, Illinois and Wisconsin also grapple with the epidemic —
The Associated Press: Ex-Users, Addiction Experts To Discuss N.Y.'s Heroin Epidemic
Addiction experts, police, public officials and former users are coming together to discuss New York state's heroin and opioid problem. State Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, a Rotterdam Democrat, said Friday's event at the state Capitol is intended to raise awareness about drug abuse and the resources out there to help users get clean. Representatives from the Schenectady County Sheriff's Department, local substance abuse experts and former users are expected to participate. (4/8)
The Naperville Sun: Heroin Program Already Working, 'Sobriety Coaches' Key: Deputy Chief
If there's one thing Deputy Naperville Police Chief Brian Cunningham doesn't want, it's for drug users and members of their families to be too intimidated to look into the police department's new "Connect For Life" opiate abuse treatment program. "It's not our goal to create an amnesty program for addicts," Cunningham said of Connect For Life, which was officially launched on March 28. "What the program is about is for us to help people who need that connection" to counselors, medical professionals and addiction treatment centers, he said. (Bird, 4/7)
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Fentanyl-Related Deaths Spike To 30 In Milwaukee County In 2016
Thirty people died in fentanyl-related overdoses in Milwaukee County during the first three months of this year, matching the total number of fentanyl deaths in 2015 — a year that itself saw an unprecedented number of deaths from the drug. Those grim numbers, compiled by the medical examiner's office, come as the city Health Department on Thursday released a slew of its own troubling health statistics. (Stephenson, 4/7)
