Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Opioid Epidemic Further Taxes Counseling Workforce Already Susceptible To Burnout, High Turnover
The Wall Street Journal: Addiction Treatment Centers Struggle To Attract Workers
Recovery centers around the U.S. say they have long struggled to attract and retain workers, given the low pay, the stigma attached to addiction, and the high burnout from dealing with difficult patients. Many counselors leave the field after only a few years. Yet clinics now must not only replace those workers, but fill an expected surge of new positions in the coming years to meet rising demand for addiction treatment. The jobs range from psychiatrists to licensed addiction counselors to house aides who monitor patients. (Campo-Flores, 4/27)
Stateline: An Opioid Treatment Model Spawns Imitators
Operated by Johns Hopkins Hospital and located two blocks from its main campus, the Broadway Center — or “911” as it’s called because of its address at 911 N. Broadway [in Baltimore] — has provided methadone maintenance therapy for people with opioid addiction for more than two decades. But unlike most of the roughly 1,400 methadone clinics across the country, the Broadway Center offers not only methadone, but the two other federally approved addiction medications, buprenorphine and naltrexone, and a full complement of mandatory addiction counseling and group classes. (Vestal, 4/27)
The Associated Press: House Panel Approves Bipartisan Drug-Abuse Legislation
The House Judiciary Committee took an election-year swipe Wednesday at the nation's growing drug addiction problem, approving federal grants that would bolster state and local efforts against the abuse of opioid painkillers. The bipartisan measure sailed through the Judiciary panel by voice vote. Its easy approval contrasted with recent clashes between the two parties over President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, and administration efforts to win quick emergency spending to combat the zika virus and fix the lead-poisoned water supply of Flint, Michigan. (4/27)
The WRAP: Prince And The Opioid Epidemic: ‘These Are Essentially Heroin Pills,’ Expert Says
Prince’s death was a tragic loss — one that will be made even more tragic if, as reported, he was hospitalized after overdosing on Percocet days before his death, and suffered from what has been called a “substantial” problem with the opioid painkiller. (Kenneally, 4/27)
Meanwhile, media outlets offer coverage of the issue out of the states —
New Hampshire Public Radio: N.H. Senate Once Again Considers Spate Of Drug-Related Bills
The New Hampshire Senate this afternoon will once again tackle a handful of bills geared at the state’s opioid crisis. Many of the proposals being related to illegal drug use. (Sutherland, 4/27)
Minnesota Public Radio: Special Report: Opiod Abuse Epidemic
Stories of the people affected by the epidemic, and MPR News hosts Cathy Wurzer and Tom Crann interview Minnesota experts. One of the most staggering aspects of the epidemic is that, for many, drug abuse starts with legal painkillers. MPR reporter Jon Collins is the reporter and producer of this special report. (4/28)
Kaiser Health News: Counterfeit Opioid Poisonings Spread To Bay Area
An outbreak of poisonings linked to a counterfeit prescription painkiller -- previously seen in the Sacramento region -- has reached the Bay Area, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The CDC reported Tuesday that seven patients were treated for overdoses in Bay Area hospitals in late March and early April after taking what they thought were tablets of Norco, a brand-name painkiller that combines acetaminophen and hydrocodone. (Feder Ostrov, 4/28)
The Boston Globe: State Aims To Assure Sober Homes Live Up To Their Name
The point of the voluntary certification program from the state Department of Public Health is simple: to make sure sober homes are just that, at a time when the state remains mired in a deadly opioid crisis and the need for a haven from drugs is urgent. (Freyer, 4/28)
Health News Florida: U.S. Surgeon General: Addiction An Illness, Not A Moral Failing
Dr. Vivek Murthy is not only one of the youngest people ever named the U.S. Surgeon General, the 38-year-old also is the first person of Indian descent to hold the post. But there’s one more thing: he's a Floridian. (Shedden, 4/27)
