Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Recovery Friendly' Employers Help Those Recovering From Addiction Overcome One Of Biggest Hurdles: Finding A Job
The Washington Post: One Of The Biggest Challenges Of Kicking Addiction Is Getting And Keeping A Job
After years of drug addiction and homelessness, Kenny Sawyer found himself staring at a job application at Hypertherm , a New Hampshire company that makes industrial cutting tools. He was sober at last. He really wanted this job. But the application asked whether he had been convicted of any felonies. Sawyer hadn’t. But he decided later that the company would want to know he had been jailed for misdemeanor assault after a fight over a crack purchase years earlier. He called to volunteer that information, well aware that a scrape with the law could cost him the opportunity. (Bernstein, 11/27)
In other news on the opioid crisis —
The Associated Press: Denver Trying Again For Possible 1st US Drug Injection Site
Despite federal opposition, Denver is trying again to become what could be the first U.S. city to open a supervised drug injection site, a strategy that some liberal cities have tried repeatedly to launch to reduce overdose deaths fueled by a nationwide opioid epidemic. The Denver City Council voted 12-1 on Monday to approve a measure that would allow one site to open for at least two years under a pilot program. But there are still several hurdles to clear. (Slevin, 11/27)
The Washington Post: FDA Finds Heavy Metals In Kratom Products Used For Pain And Opioid Withdrawal
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that it had found high levels of heavy metals such as lead and nickel in some kratom products. The regulator has been clamping down on the substance, which advocates say helps ease pain and reduce symptoms of opioid withdrawal, but which the FDA says has similar effects to narcotics such as opioids and has resulted in dozens of deaths. (11/27)
