Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Hampshire Governor Cites Need To Be 'Nimble' In Redirecting Opioid Addiction Services To Hospitals
NH Times Union: Sununu Turns To Hospitals For Addiction Recovery Services In Manchester, Nashua
Gov. Chris Sununu announced Tuesday that hospitals in Manchester and Nashua will assume the “Doorway” functions of the state’s opioid response plan, stripping the responsibility from the Granite Pathways organization. Sununu and his recently confirmed commissioner of health and human services, Lori Shibinette, said Granite Pathways had been too slow to forge community connections and did not properly follow up on patients it had placed into programs. Catholic Medical Center will take over Doorway responsibilities in Manchester; Southern New Hampshire Health will do so in Nashua.Under the state model, a Doorway serves as the entry point for people seeking help for drug or alcohol issues. That agency then places them in the appropriate setting with treatment providers or other agencies, given their needs. The system is often referred to as a “hub-and-spoke” model. (Hayward, 2/4)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Manchester's Addiction Crisis Center Announces Plan To Cut Hours
The city of Manchester is scrambling to find a stop-gap measure after learning the Doorway, the local hub for people in addiction crisis, is significantly cutting back its hours. The organization Granite Pathways, which runs the Doorway, announced the changes Tuesday night, hours after the state said it was cancelling its contract with the group because of reporting and quality issues. (Gibson, 2/5)
WBUR: Study: Meds Like Methadone Reduce Risk For Opioid Users Better Than Therapy, Other Treatments
A study of more than 40,000 people diagnosed with an opioid use disorder found that those who used buprenorphine or methadone had a reduced risk of overdose and opioid-related hospitalizations when compared to five other possibilities. Those included no treatment, office-based counseling, inpatient programs, intensive outpatient services and naltrexone, the drug that blocks opioid receptors. (Becker and Bebinger, 2/5)
MPR: In Rural Minnesota, Doctors Swap Knowledge On How Best To Treat Opioid Addiction
A physician-mentoring program is showing some success in providing opioid addiction treatment for people in rural areas of the state, where there are no doctors specializing in addiction and few treatment options. About two years into the program, about 50 rural Minnesota doctors have been certified to prescribe the medication buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid addiction. For more than 500 rural patients, this now means they can get opioid treatment at their home clinic rather than driving hours into the Twin Cities for help. (Collins, 2/5)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Cuyahoga County Could Save Millions In Jail Costs By Creating Treatment Facility For Some Crime Suspects, Consultants Say
Cuyahoga County could reduce its daily jail population by about 160 inmates by creating a so-called diversion center where police officers could take mentally ill or addicted people suspected of non-violent, low-level crimes, according to a report from consultants. The consultants were hired to recommend ways Cuyahoga County could create a diversion program as part of efforts to replace or renovate the county’s outdated Justice Center and jail complex. (Astolfi, 2/6)
