Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
One New York City Resident Dies Every Six Hours From An Overdose
The Wall Street Journal: Number Of Fatal Drug Overdoses In NYC Increased In 2017, Data Shows
The number of people who die of drug overdoses in New York City rose in 2017, but the rate at which people are dying is slowing, according to new data released Monday by the city’s health department. There were 1,487 confirmed unintentional drug overdose deaths in 2017, up 62 from 2016. The rate of unintentional deaths increased for the seventh straight year; one New Yorker dies every six hours from an overdose. (West, 9/17)
Concord (N.H.) Monitor: Grandparents Bearing Brunt Of Opioid Epidemic In New Hampshire
Four years after the opioid crisis took flight, grandparents and other relatives are still bearing a staggering share of parenting responsibilities – many still scarred by the unbearable events that brought them to this point. Thirty-three percent of children who have been removed from their homes were living with grandparents and other relatives in 2016 – up from 23 percent in 2012, according to a report from the University of New Hampshire Carsey School of Public Policy released in June. (DeWitt, 9/17)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Future Of Safe Stations Is One Of Many Questions Under N.H.'s New Addiction Plan
For years, New Hampshire has relied on a largely patchwork strategy to address the opioid crisis, funding grassroots efforts community by community. ...Now, state officials want to change that. But implementing a new, statewide system is easier said than done. In some cases it will mean replacing initiatives that already exist. (Greene, 9/17)
Houston Chronicle: Combatting Texas’ Durg Overdose Epidemic
Physicians who monitor prescription drug use can play an important role in identifying statewide misuse trends. Their efforts complement Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs, which are state-based databases that track prescription data to help reveal possible concerns. These programs, such as the “Texas Prescription Monitoring Program,” are necessary and useful to help curtail prescription and illicit drug misuse. (F. Leland McClure III, 9/17)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Taking A Toll: The Opioid Epidemic's Impact On N.H.'s Child Welfare System
Morning Edition Host Rick Ganley met with [Moira] O'Neill at her office in Concord to talk about why DCYF has struggled to meet the demands of the opioid epidemic, and how opioid use has complicated the separation and reunification process between children and their parents. (Ganley and McIntyre, 9/17)
Columbus Dispatch: Funding Fix Sought For Dayton Center For Drug-Exposed Babies
The Ohio Department of Medicaid says it is working on a proposal to the federal government to allow the health-insurance program to cover some of the care at Brigid’s Path, the state’s only standalone recovery center for drug-exposed infants. The nonprofit center opened in December in the Dayton area and has had to limit services to eight infants at a time, despite high demand and 24 beds. (Price, 9/17)
