Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
D.C.'s Failure To Curb Its Opioid Crisis Draws Fierce Criticism From Public Health Experts, Doctors
The Washington Post: D.C. Opioid Crisis: Dozens Criticize City Response At Council Hearing
D.C. lawmakers, public health experts, doctors and addiction treatment providers forcefully criticized the city’s efforts to address an explosion in fatal opioid overdoses, saying at a D.C. Council hearing Monday that city officials failed to heed best practices and haven’t adequately fixed their strategy. The joint hearing by the council’s health and judiciary committees served as a cathartic moment for advocates and medical professionals who bemoaned what they described as years of missed opportunities to save lives. Early in the hearing, council member and judiciary committee chairman Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) encouraged people to air their complaints. (Jamison, 1/28)
The Associated Press: Doc, Hospital Face 8 Wrongful Death Suits Over Drug Dosages
A woman died at an Ohio hospital minutes after receiving not one but two excessive doses of potentially lethal medication ordered by a doctor under investigation in connection with dozens of deaths , the woman's family alleged Monday. Their lawsuit over the May 2015 death of 85-year-old Norma Welch was one of two filed Monday against the Columbus-area Mount Carmel Health System and Dr. William Husel, the families' attorneys said. (Franko, 1/28)
Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee Vows Push For Lower Health Care Costs
During his inaugural address, Gov. Bill Lee identified three areas in which he said the state is struggling. He pointed to the ongoing opioid epidemic and struggling rural communities. The third area, he said, was health care. ...What is quickly becoming clear is that the issue of Medicaid expansion is not going away, especially among activists in Tennessee. During Lee's first week in office, three groups seized on the governor's recent appearance at a Nashville event to honor Martin Luther King Jr. while calling for Medicaid expansion in Tennessee. (Ebert, 1/29)
Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee's Opioid Crisis Leads To More Kids In Foster Care
Driven largely by the opioid epidemic, the number of kids entering foster care in Tennessee has jumped by more than 10 percent in the past two years, straining the budget of the Department of Children's Services. The $800 million agency, which is funded through a combination of federal and state dollars, needs an additional $78 million to care for those kids, said Jennifer Nichols, the agency's chief. (Wadhwani, 1/28)
