Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Parents' Struggles With Opioids Take Wrenching Toll On Children
Boston Globe: Opioids’ Hold On Parents Takes Toll On Kids
More than half of drug arrests in the city involve out-of-state residents, Cuddy said. The department does not have statistics on how often children witness drug use.In Lawrence, overdose deaths climbed from six in 2012 to 25 in 2015, according to state statistics. The 2015 number could increase as the medical examiner confirms additional cases. (Allen, 12/1)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Opioid Recovery Advocates Hopeful About $1 Billion Federal Spending Bill
The Senate is scheduled to take up a bill next week that would send $1 billion to states battling the opioid addiction crisis. The federal dollars would be divvied up among states based on per-capita drug overdoses. By that measure, New Hampshire ranks third nationally. The funding would help strengthen the state's growing but still inadequate network of services, including prevention, early detox, long-term housing and mental health treatment, says Tym Rourke, Chair of the Governor's Commission on Substance Abuse. (Rodolico, 12/1)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Health Care Reform Bill Includes $1B For N.H., Other States Battling Heroin Crisis
Lawmakers in the U.S. House have overwhelmingly passed a wide-ranging health care reform bill that sets aside $1 billion to be split among states like New Hampshire battling the heroin and opioid addiction crisis. The bipartisan legislation sailed through on a 392-26 vote Wednesday, and includes everything from an overhaul of how new drugs are approved to nearly $5 billion for medical research. (Ganley and Brindley, 12/1)
Kaiser Health News: Delivered ‘Like A Pizza’: Why Killer Drug Fentanyl Is So Hard To Stop
The Obama administration agreed that the increasing supply of fentanyl on the street is a major challenge and said agencies are doing a lot. But reducing the supply is complicated. ... “Synthetic drugs are a real winner because they are easy to make, and they’re cheap to produce,” said Kara McDonald, director of policy, planning and coordination at the international narcotics and law enforcement bureau of the U.S. Department of State.“They’re not dependent on a season or the weather like a plant-based drug,” McDonald said. “And with the distribution system — through mail order — they can be delivered directly to the door in some cases. Like a pizza. (Bebinger, 12/2)
Health News Florida: Bereft Parent Of Overdose Victim: Doctors Should Have Said Something
Emergency rooms would have to notify an adult next of kin when they treat someone for an unintentional overdose if Fort Pierce Democratic Representative Larry Lee, Jr., has his way. (Ash, 12/1)
And from the states —
Georgia Health News: Fulton Co. Ranks High In Opioid Deaths, HIV Rate
Fulton County’s rate of opioid overdose deaths was more than double the national average in 2014, newly released figures show.Fulton CountyAnd the county — which contains most of the city of Atlanta as well as some of Georgia’s most affluent suburbs — had a higher rate of HIV diagnoses than all but one of 28 large cities studied, according to statistics released this week by the Big Cities Health Coalition project. (Miller, 12/1)
San Francisco Chronicle: SF’s Top Health Official Endorses Safe Drug Injection Sites
San Francisco’s top public health official on Wednesday endorsed safe injection sites where intravenous drug users could legally shoot drugs, giving the controversial idea a big boost and setting up a potential clash with Mayor Ed Lee, who has come out strongly against them. (Green, 12/1)
