Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Talk To Your Kids About Fentanyl Dangers, Says Ad Council Campaign
The Wall Street Journal: Fentanyl Awareness Campaign Urges Parents To ‘Drop The F-Bomb’ With Their Kids
A new campaign from the Ad Council and Meta Platforms Inc. is encouraging parents of teen and young-adult children to speak to them about the dangers of fentanyl. ... The campaign, which is set to roll out Wednesday, includes videos of parents having conversations with children about the risks of fentanyl. In one, a father says he is “about to go drop the F-bomb” with his daughter. The videos will initially appear on Meta social-media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. The Ad Council also aims to expand the campaign beyond Meta platforms, including with digital display ads on other websites. (Graham, 12/13)
Minnesota Public Radio: Minnesota Opioid Treatment Clinics Overwhelmed As Needs Rise, Staffs Shrink
Duluth’s Center for Alcohol and Drug Treatment is the only licensed opioid treatment program across Minnesota’s Arrowhead, a territory roughly the size of Massachusetts. Its ClearPath Clinic has space for 475 people; some drive for hours to meet with a counselor or re-up on methadone. It’s a lifeline for those trying to break free of addiction. Now, though, the clinic is full. (Wiley, 12/19)
Bangor Daily News: More Detox Beds Not The Best Use Of Bangor’s $20 Million Public Fund, Says Facility Head
Creating more beds for people to detox from alcohol or drugs is one of many potential uses for Bangor’s $20 million in pandemic relief funds, but the head of Bangor’s primary detox center said there are better uses for the money. (O'Brien, 12/19)
The State: SC Considers Fentanyl-Induced Homicide Law Amid Drug Crisis
Senate President Thomas Alexander ... recently reintroduced a fentanyl-specific drug-induced homicide bill that passed the Senate unanimously last year and said he’s hopeful it will become law in 2023. Drug-induced homicide laws, which are on the books in roughly two-dozen states, allow prosecutors to charge drug suppliers in fatal overdoses. A similar fentanyl-specific drug-induced homicide bill has been introduced in the House, and lawmakers in both chambers have filed bills before the Jan. 10 legislative session that criminalize fentanyl trafficking to close what some describe as a “loophole” that prevents dealers from facing more than drug possession charges. (Koeske, 12/18)
On overdose treatments —
NPR: People Dying Of Opioid Overdoses May Get Better Access To Life-Saving Meds
"If somebody has access to these life-saving medications, it cuts their mortality risk by 50 percent," says Dr. Linda Wang, a researcher who treats patients with addiction at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. "It has a huge impact preventing death." But as fatal opioid overdoses surge in the U.S., topping 80,000 deaths last year, access to these medications remains severely limited. (Mann, 12/17)
Bay Area News Group: Fentanyl Overdose: Are Bay Area Schools Trained On Narcan, Ready To Use It?
The student gasped for breath. Her eyes widened. Her pupils shrunk.Slumping in a chair in a conference room at W.C. Overfelt High School in late October, she was showing all the signs of overdosing on the powerful opioid fentanyl. (Nickerson and Prodis Sulek, 12/18)
KHN: A Montana Addiction Clinic Wants To Motivate People With Rewards. Then Came A Medicaid Fraud Probe
A Montana addiction clinic’s plan to give people with substance use disorders as much as $1,966.50 in gift cards and vouchers to follow its treatment program is raising questions about the use of financial incentives with patients. The tug of war over the effective but largely unregulated tool is playing out in the northwestern Montana town of Kalispell, where a local government grant is financing rewards for people who stick with treatment provided by the outpatient clinic Oxytocin. (Houghton, 12/19)
