Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Most People Who Overdose Don't Die. Instead, They're Ensnared In Relentless Cycle Of Worry And Chaos.
The New York Times: 1 Son, 4 Overdoses, 6 Hours
The torrent of people who have died in the opioid crisis has transfixed and horrified the nation, with overdose now the leading cause of death for Americans under 50. But most drug users do not die. ... In the 20 years that Patrick has been using drugs, he has lost track of how many times he has overdosed. He guesses 30, a number experts say would not be surprising for someone taking drugs off and on for that long. Patrick [Griffin] and his family allowed The New York Times to follow them for much of the past year because they said they wanted people to understand the realities of living with drug addiction. Over the months, their lives played out in an almost constant state of emergency or dread, their days dictated by whether Patrick would shoot up or not. (Seelye, 1/21)
The New York Times: How A ‘Perfect Storm’ In New Hampshire Has Fueled An Opioid Crisis
They sat on plastic chairs in a corner of the Manchester fire station, clutching each other in a desperate farewell. Justin Lerra was 26 when he turned himself in last summer to the fire department’s “safe station” program, which helps get drug users into treatment. He had been using drugs for seven years. His girlfriend, Sarah, who asked that her last name not be published, was pregnant and had told him that if he didn’t stop using, she would leave him. (Seelye, 1/21)
In other news on the crisis, the administration extends emergency public health declaration, debate continues over safe-injection sites, candidates for a congressional seat out of Maryland focus on opioids, and more —
The Hill: HHS Extends Trump's Emergency Declaration For Opioids
The Trump administration has extended the opioid public health emergency issued by President Trump, days before that declaration was set to expire. In October, President Trump announced in the White House’s East Room that he was declaring the opioid epidemic a national public health emergency. The move was without precedent, as such declarations had in the past been reserved for natural disasters and the outbreak of infectious diseases. (Roubein, 1/19)
The Associated Press: Debate On In Massachusetts Over Safe Sites For Drug Users
The idea may seem jarring at first: Creating safe spaces where drug users can shoot up under the watchful eye of staff trained in helping counter the effect of potentially fatal overdoses — all with the approval of public health officials. But the terrible toll taken by the state’s opioid battle in recent years have prompted some lawmakers, activists and medical groups to endorse the idea of “supervised injection sites” as another way to reduce overdose deaths. (Leblanc, 1/21)
The Washington Post: Experiences With Opioid Addiction And Loss Fuel Md. Congressional Hopefuls
The candidates forum had the feel of a group-therapy session at times, as three of six Democrats running for an open congressional seat shared stories of close relatives who overdosed on opioids. A brother-in-law. A nephew. A father. “In the next 10 years with opioids, there will be probably a million people dead,” Total Wine co-founder David Trone said Wednesday night at a Hood College forum focused on health care and opioids. (Portnoy, 1/20)
The Star Tribune: Opioid Crisis Putting Strain On Minnesota's Child Protection Setup
The opioid epidemic that has ravaged communities across Minnesota is also wreaking havoc on the lives of hundreds of children whose parents abuse drugs. New data from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) show that, as the opioid crisis tightened its grip on the Upper Midwest, the number of children being removed from their homes because of parental drug abuse has more than doubled since 2012. (Serres, 1/20)
Arizona Republic: Arizona Painkiller Laws: Ducey Seeks 5-Day Opioid Prescription Limit
Gov. Doug Ducey will seek to pass legislation next week that would limit new opioid prescriptions to five days and cap the amount of pain medication that can be prescribed for many people. ... In addition to imposing new caps on how much doctors can prescribe in many cases, the Republican governor wants to expand the availability of treatment with a $10 million fund for people who are struggling with addiction but can't afford treatment due to a lack of health-insurance coverage. (Alltucker and Nicla, 1/19)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Half Of Ohioans Favor Needle Exchange, New Poll Says
Public health officials Friday touted benefits of a newly reconstituted needle exchange in Hamilton County and Cincinnati as they disclosed a new poll that shows that just more than half of Ohioans favor the service. The poll, which also shows that about four in 10 Ohioans oppose needle exchange, was released [in] concert with Hamilton County Public Health's unveiling of the region's newest efforts to fight the heroin epidemic, the Exchange Project. (DeMio, 1/19)
Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Gubernatorial Candidates Discuss Health Care, Opioid Crisis At Nashville Forum
Speaking at a forum centered on health care, the majority of Tennessee's top-tier gubernatorial candidates stressed the need to tackle the ongoing opioid crisis and the importance of getting the state's residents to live healthier lifestyles. The Friday forum, sponsored by the nonprofit Healthy Tennessee and Lipscomb University, featured six of the seven top-tier candidates in the race, with U.S. Rep. Diane Black, R-Gallatin, the only person to not make an appearance. (Ebert, 1/19)
