Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Even Though Laws Have Changed To Encourage Access To Naloxone, Some Pharmacies Set Up Roadblocks
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Some Pharmacies Thwart Efforts To Improve Access To The Opioid Overdose Reversal Drug
In response to the opioid crisis, all 50 states have changed their laws to make naloxone, the overdose reversal drug, easier to get and use. Many states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, have issued standing medication orders so pharmacists can dispense the lifesaving antidote without a prescription. Cities such as Philadelphia have campaigns encouraging family and friends of people at risk of overdose to carry naloxone. (McCullough, 11/14)
WBUR: Report: Opioid Epidemic Cost Massachusetts $15.2 Billion In 2017
The opioid epidemic cost Massachusetts $15.2 billion in 2017. That startling tally, a combination of expenses and lost labor, is explained in a report from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation (MTF). It's the first to offer a thorough assessment of the economic damage caused by rising opioid use and deaths in Massachusetts. The authors say it's a conservative estimate because they couldn't find data to measure some considerable costs. (Bebinger, 11/14)
North Carolina Health News: NC Counties Putting New Federal Funding To Use In Battling Opioid Epidemic
A new grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will give funding to 22 North Carolina health departments to create strategies for fighting the state’s opioid epidemic. Thirty-four counties applied for a share of $1.8 million funds, for up to $100,000 each, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. (Monk, 11/15)
St. Louis Public Radio: As The Opioid Backlash Grows, Sickle Cell Patients Fear They'll Lose Critical Pain Treatment
For the 100,000 mostly black people in the United States who have sickle cell disease, the combination of acute crises and chronic pain can be debilitating. Treatment guidelines allow for high levels of opioids, but many sickle cell patients are now worried where recent crackdowns on opioids will leave them, particularly after a long history of misunderstanding about the disease. Sickle cell can cut life expectancy by decades, and, until recently, treatment was mostly palliative care — treating the pain without much thought to the consequences. (Smith, 11/14)
