Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'I Was Supposed To Be Somebody': In Cradle Of Opioid Epidemic, One Woman's Journey Offers Snapshot Of The Crisis
The New York Times: Despair, Love And Loss: A Journey Inside West Virginia’s Opioid Crisis
People suffering from drug addiction are commonly depicted at their most vulnerable — nameless refugees from a world of misery, washed up on city sidewalks or huddling beneath an overpass. But the lives of these people, like all lives, are more than their lowest points; there is boredom, laughter, fatigue, friendship, scheming, desperation, love, loss and death. The addiction just lies beneath it all. Since 2013, Mark E. Trent has been recording this life in his native Greenbrier County in West Virginia, the state with the country’s highest death rate from opioid addiction. (Trent and Robertson, 12/14)
In other news on the epidemic —
Stat: Philly City Council Committee Tables Ordinance To Restrict Sales Reps
Amid furious lobbying by opponents, the Philadelphia City Council tabled a controversial ordinance on Thursday that would prevent drug makers from giving gifts to doctors, require all sales reps to become licensed, and prohibit distribution of copay coupons for controlled substances. The delay followed recent amendments that were made by lawmakers who sponsored the legislation, which is designed to blunt the opioid crisis. But their gesture did little to assuage the concerns of local hoteliers and restaurant owners, who assembled a campaign of lobbyists and targeted emails to complain that their businesses would be irreparably damaged if the ordinance is enacted. (Silverman, 12/13)
The Wall Street Journal: Cigna’s Algorithms Aim To Predict Opioid Abuse
Cigna Corp. is using artificial intelligence to predict whether patients might abuse and or overdose on prescription opioids as part of the company’s commitment to reducing the substance’s use among its consumers, said Mark Boxer, executive vice president and global chief information officer. Cigna’s proprietary algorithms are aided by the use of machine learning, a subfield of artificial intelligence that refers to the science of getting computers to act intelligently without being explicitly programmed. (Castellanos, 12/13)
WBUR: 'It's A Prison. It's Punishing Addicts': Calls To Reform Civil Commitments Increase
As the state reviews how it involuntarily commits people to addiction treatment under a state law called Section 35, [Nick] Cocchi has opened this part of his jail for men who have been civilly committed. He's done this despite public calls from some who have been civilly committed to stop sending people into correctional institutions for drug and alcohol treatment. (Becker, 12/14)
