Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Sheer Scale Of Opioid Epidemic Challenges Southern States' Resistance To Harm Reduction Strategies
Stateline: Southern States Slowly Embracing Harm Reduction To Curb Opioid Epidemic
Since the 1990s, activists in cities such as Chicago, San Francisco and New York have led the nation in practicing harm reduction, a set of tools such as needle exchanges and naloxone distribution designed to help people addicted to drugs make incremental improvements to their health. But in the Bible Belt, many Southerners who held conservative views often criticized harm reduction as something that encouraged — not ended — the use of drugs. Those practices, in many states, were banned outright. But attitudes have shifted, given the sheer scale of the epidemic, proof that some harm reduction efforts save lives as well as taxpayer dollars, and the changing cultural view of drug users. (Blau, 4/15)
Richmond Times Dispatch: Roanoke Chief Supports New Needle Exchange Plan, Officials Say
A plan to stem opioid addiction, including the proposed establishment of a syringe exchange program, will be unveiled Monday at the Roanoke City Council meeting. Council members will be briefed by the Roanoke Valley Collective Response, a group representing 80-plus organizations that came together last year to address the crisis. (Gendreau, 4/13)
The Associated Press: Insider Q&A: American Addiction Centers CEO Talks Treatment
The tools for treating drug addiction are there — they just aren't reaching most of the people who need them. That's the conclusion reached by the National Academies in a report last month on the opioid epidemic: only a fraction of the estimated 2 million Americans addicted to opioids — including heroin, fetanyl and prescription painkillers — receive medications proven to help manage their condition. It's a predicament long recognized by addiction specialists. Just 38 percent of U.S. counties have a clinic for treating addiction to drugs, alcohol and other substances, according to federal figures. (4/14)
NH Times Union: The Doorway Is Open In NH, And Hundreds Are Walking In
In the first three months since The Doorway — the state's new "hub-and-spoke program" for substance-use disorders — opened, more than 1,400 people have sought help there. That number includes both people seeking direct services, and family or friends looking for information about how to help a loved one, according to statistics from the state Department of Health and Human Services. There were 1,011 individuals seen in person, and 592 accessed The Doorway by calling the 2-1-1 helpline (some did both).Statewide, The Doorway staff have provided 631 clinical evaluations and made 776 referrals to treatment in those first three months. (Wickham, 4/14)
NPR: Legal Battle Over Philadelphia's Proposed Safe Injection Site Heats Up
A nonprofit group in Philadelphia is fighting in court to be allowed to open the first facility in the country for people to use illegal opioids under medical supervision. The group, called Safehouse, has the backing of local government, yet faces a legal challenge from federal prosecutors. The idea of supervised injection sites is to offer people a space where they can use drugs under the supervision of trained medical staff, who are prepared with the overdose-reversal drug naloxone. (Allyn, 4/13)
The Washington Post: New Campaign Seeks To Help Pregnant Opioid Users
A new campaign has launched in Virginia to help pregnant mothers who abuse opioids or other drugs. The Roanoke Times reports that several groups have partnered to launch an effort to connect women with recovery programs. The program is called “Mother-up” and its website is mother-up.org. Participating groups include the Children’s Trust, Carilion Clinic and the Virginia Department of Social Services. (4/15)
