Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Most Doctors Missing A Crucial Tool In The Fight Against Opioid Addiction
The New York Times: When An Iowa Family Doctor Takes On The Opioid Epidemic
A newborn had arrived for his checkup, prompting Dr. Nicole Gastala to abandon her half-eaten lunch and brace for the afternoon crush. An older man with diabetes would follow, then a pregnant teenager, a possible case of pneumonia and someone with a rash. There were also patients on her schedule with a problem most primary care doctors don’t treat: a former construction worker fighting an addiction to opioid painkillers, and a tattooed millennial who had been injecting heroin four times a day. (Goodnough, 6/23)
The New York Times: The Trump Appointee Who’s An Addiction Specialist
Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, the Trump administration’s director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, helped pioneer opioid addiction treatment with buprenorphine in clinical trials in the 1990s. She also helped create the training for doctors who want to prescribe it. What follows is a condensed interview with her. (Goodnough, 6/23)
NPR: Study: Opioid Use High In Counties That Voted For Trump
The fact that rural, economically disadvantaged parts of the country broke heavily for the Republican candidate in the 2016 election is well known. But Medicare data indicate that voters in areas that went for Trump weren't just hurting economically — many of them were receiving prescriptions for opioid painkillers. (Chisholm, 6/23)
The Associated Press: Drug Spoon Sculpture Placed Outside Drugmaker Headquarters
An 800-pound, nearly 11-foot-long steel sculpture of a bent and burned drug spoon was placed Friday in front of the Connecticut headquarters of drugmaker Purdue Pharma as part of an art protest against the opioid crisis. Artist Domenic Esposito and art gallery owner Fernando Alvarez dropped the sculpture at the company's Stamford headquarters. Police arrested Alvarez on a minor charge of obstructing free passage. A city worker removed the spoon with a payloader and it was hauled to a police evidence holding area. (6/22)
The Associated Press: Retailers Experiment With Blue Lights To Deter Drug Use
Colored bulbs cast an eerie blue glow in the restroom of a convenience store where people who inject heroin and other drugs have been seeking the relative privacy of the stalls to shoot up. The blue lights are meant to discourage people from using drugs in store bathrooms by making it more difficult for them to see their veins. It's an idea that's been around for years but is getting a fresh look as a result of the nation's opioid epidemic. (6/24)
WBUR: Turmoil Of Opioid Epidemic Is Targeted In New Hospital Guide
Hospitals say there's been little guidance for them about how to screen patients for an opioid addiction, how to manage a patient in detox while treating injuries from a car accident, for example, and where to make naloxone available. ...To remedy this gap, the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association (MHA) is out with what it says is the first statewide "guide for patient management with regards to opioid misuse." (Bebinger, 6/22)
Arizona Republic: CVS Health Expands Drug-Disposal Program To Arizona
CVS Health is expanding drop-off boxes for unused medications at 13 store locations across Arizona, the company said this week. The new disposal units will be located inside CVS Pharmacy locations, providing sites for disposing of opioids and other medications that could be misused if they are left in medicine cabinets, the company said in announcing the plan on Wednesday. (Forburger, 6/22)
