Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
States To Be Allowed To Use Funds Earmarked For Opioid Epidemic To Address Escalating Meth, Cocaine Crises
The Associated Press: Feds Allow Use Of Opioid Funds To Stem Meth, Cocaine Surge
Alarmed by a deadly new twist in the nation's drug addiction crisis, the government will allow states to use federal money earmarked for the opioid epidemic to help growing numbers of people struggling with meth and cocaine. The little-noticed change is buried in a massive spending bill passed by Congress late last year. Pressed by constituents and state officials, lawmakers of both parties and the Trump administration agreed to broaden the scope of a $1.5 billion grant program previously restricted to the opioid crisis. (1/21)
CNN: Benzos Might Be A 'Hidden Element' Of The US' Overdose Epidemic
Doctors have been increasingly prescribing benzodiazepines, also known as "benzos," in recent years. Looking at data from 2014 to 2016, new research found this class of central nervous system depressants was prescribed at about 65.9 million office-based doctor visits. That's a rate of 27 annual visits per 100 adults. The research, which analyzed data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, was published on Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Christensen, 1/20)
Pioneer Press: Need For MN Foster Families Urgent As Opioid Crisis Displaces More Children
Statewide, parental drug abuse puts the most kids in foster care. The numbers keep rising, prompting agencies to urgently seek more families to take the children in. According to the Minnesota Department of Human Services, in 2018 there were 10,050 kids in foster care, an increase of 14 percent in just two years. Of those, 32 percent were removed from the home due to parents abusing opioids and methamphetamines, almost double what it was in 2013. (Weniger, 1/19)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: How Philly Plans To Combat The Nation’s Worst Big-City Opioid Crisis In 2020
Philadelphia is home to the worst urban opioid crisis in America. More than 3,000 people have died of drug overdoses here in the last three years, and the city health department estimates that tens of thousands of Philadelphians are addicted to opioids. As the epidemic has worsened, city officials, hospitals, and outreach workers have scrambled to address a complicated public health crisis with few easy answers. The city has spent more than a year pouring resources and initiatives into Kensington, the neighborhood at the epicenter of the crisis. Two years after fatal overdoses hit an all-time high — claiming 1,217 people in 2017 — it appears that the 2019 toll will be similar to 2018′s, when 1,116 people died. (Whelan, 1/21)
NH Union Leader: Chronic-Pain Bill Aims To Protect Providers And Patients
Advocates say proposed legislation would protect chronic pain patients — and the doctors who care for them. Senate Bill 546 calls for providers to “administer care sufficient to treat a patient’s chronic pain based on ongoing, objective evaluations of the patient without fear of reprimand or discipline.” It also states that patient care and prescribing of medication, including opioid painkillers, should not be dictated by “pre-determined” guidelines. (Wickham, 1/18)
