Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
San Francisco's Opioid Death Epidemic Only Slightly Declines: Data
San Francisco Chronicle: SF Fatal Drug Overdose Epidemic Not Improving, New Data Suggests
San Francisco’s drug crisis shows no sign of abating, with 2022 nearly as deadly as the prior year, new data on fatal overdoses reveals. Throughout the year, 620 people fell victim to the epidemic, according to new figures released Wednesday by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner — a slight dip from the year prior when 640 people died of an overdose. (Thadani, 1/18)
Reuters: Walgreens To Pay $83 Mln To Settle West Virginia's Opioid Claims
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc has agreed to pay West Virginia $83 million to settle the state's lawsuit accusing it of fueling the opioid epidemic there through lax oversight of its pill sales. The deal, announced Wednesday by West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, is not part of a $5.7 billion nationwide settlement Walgreens reached with state and local governments last year. (Pierson, 1/18)
AP: 2 Treated For Likely Fentanyl Exposure At Oregon School
A student and a deputy were treated at a hospital Tuesday after they likely were exposed to fentanyl at an Oregon middle school, authorities said. The Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Wednesday that one of their deputies on Tuesday went to Willamina Middle School southwest of Portland to follow up on a case and was asked by a staff member to help check a bathroom for a suspicious odor. (1/19)
Also —
Call to Mind: Amid Opioid Epidemic, Phoenix Nursery Pioneers Care For Babies In Withdrawal
In line with the rise of the opioid epidemic, over the last decade or so there has been a dramatic increase in the number of babies who were exposed to opiates in the womb. The parents of those children face a unique set of challenges including that child is likely to experience withdrawals in the first two weeks of life. (Ventre, 1/18)
KHN: A $30 Million Gift To Build An Addiction Treatment Center. Then Staffers Had To Run It
The question came out of the blue, or so it seemed to Crossing Healthcare CEO Tanya Andricks: If you had $30 million to design an addiction treatment facility, how would you do it? The interim sheriff of Macon County, Illinois, posed the question in 2018 as he and Andricks discussed the community’s needs. When she responded that she’d have to do some research, she was told not to take too long because the offer wouldn’t be there forever. “I thought: ‘Oh, my God, he’s serious,’” Andricks said. (Sable-Smith, 1/19)
