Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Latest N. H. Opioid Death Numbers Show No Relief From Epidemic
The Concord Monitor: New Hampshire Has Third-Highest Drug Deaths Per Capita In The Nation, With Little Sign Of Slowing Down
Before the New Hampshire medical examiner’s office had even finished counting the number of drug deaths in 2015, the 2016 numbers were already rolling in. The latest numbers released this year show 10 deaths confirmed so far in 2016 with 86 more pending. Last year, 428 people died from drug overdoses, with eight cases still pending. (Nilsen, 3/20)
NPR: A Family Engulfed By Heroin Fights To Keep A Son Alive
Here's how I knew I liked Patti Trabosh. It goes back to the very first time I called her out of the blue to ask whether I might profile her family for a story on opioid addiction. The very first words out of her mouth were, "I'm pissed off!" Trabosh went on to explain why she was angry. First, it was the struggle to find a bed in a drug treatment program for her 22-year-old son Nikko Adam. He had become addicted to prescription painkillers and then heroin when he was still in high school. He'd been in rehab twice before, and relapsed both times. Once she found an available treatment slot, it was the seemingly endless and maddening battles with her insurance company, trying to get them to cover Nikko's treatment. (Block, 3/19)
