Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Number Of Women Who Delivered Babies While Addicted To Opioids Quadrupled In 15-Year Span
The Associated Press: Report: Jump In Deliveries Involving Moms Hooked On Opioids
U.S. health officials say they found a dramatic rise in the number of women who are hooked on opioids and delivering babies in hospitals. Opioid use during pregnancy can cause death of the mother or baby, preterm birth and infant withdrawal symptoms like seizures, excessive crying and breathing problems. (Stobbe, 8/9)
Bloomberg: Opioid Abuse By Pregnant Women Worsens Across U.S., Data Show
The prevalence of “opioid use disorder” more than quadrupled from 1.5 per 1,000 hospital births in 1999 to 6.5 per 1,000 births in 2014, according to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The analysis is based on statistics from 30 states and the District of Columbia. (Del Guidice and Lu, 8/9)
Boston Globe: Number Of Opioid-Addicted Women Who Delivered Babies Quadrupled In 16 Years
“These findings illustrate the devastating impact of the opioid epidemic on families across the U.S., including on the very youngest,” Dr. Robert R. Redfield, CDC director, said in a statement. “Untreated opioid use disorder during pregnancy can lead to heartbreaking results. Each case represents a mother, a child, and a family in need of continued treatment and support.” (Freyer, 8/9)
In other news on the epidemic —
Miami Herald: Study: Opioids For Wisdom Teeth Removal Increase Long-Term Use
Millions of people each year go through the dreaded experience of getting their wisdom teeth pulled out. A new study from researchers at the University of Michigan suggests that for some people, the experience could set them up for long-term possible opioid use. (Magness, 8/9)
NPR: Empathy Replaces 'Tough Love' As An Approach To Addiction
It was Bea Duncan who answered the phone at 2 a.m. on a January morning. Her son Jeff had been caught using drugs in a New Hampshire sober home and was being kicked out. Bea and her husband, Doug Duncan, drove north that night nine years ago to pick Jeff up. On the ride back home, to Natick, Mass., the parents delivered an ultimatum: Their son had to go back to rehab, or leave home. Jeff chose the latter, Bea says. She remembers a lot of yelling, cursing and tears as they stopped the car, in the dead of night, a few miles from the house. (Bebinger, 8/10)
Kansas City Star: Kansas City Sues Opioid Manufacturers And Distributors
Kansas City has joined cities and counties across the country in filing suit against a host of opioid manufacturers and distributors, saying the companies created a crisis by deceiving the public about the addictiveness of opioids and failing to properly control their flow. The suit, filed Thursday in federal court, is much like one filed last month by Jackson County that called the opioid crisis “the worst man-made epidemic in modern medical history,” and the city has retained some of the same lawyers as the county. (Marso and Ryan, 8/9)
