Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Treat Teens With Opioid Addictions With Medication, Pediatric Group Urges
USA Today: Pediatric Group Says Doctors Should Treat Teen Opioid Addicts With Medicine
Jennifer Weiss-Burke knew there was a potentially life-saving medication for her 15-year-old son, who became addicted to painkillers and heroin after a sports injury. Yet she had to call dozens of doctors before finding one to prescribe it. ... The medication, buprenorphine, is used to treat addiction to opioids, such as heroin or prescription painkillers. It can suppress withdrawal symptoms, decrease cravings and cut the risk of relapse. (Shedrofsky, 8/22)
And in news from the states —
Stat: This City Saw 26 Opioid Overdoses In Less Than Four Hours
Maybe on an average day, when [Huntington, W. Va., with] about 50,000 people sees two or three overdoses, that would have been it. But on this day, the calls kept coming. ... From about 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., 26 people overdosed in Huntington, half of them in and around the Marcum Terrace apartment complex. The barrage occupied all the ambulances in the city and more than a shift’s worth of police officers. (Joseph, 8/22)
The Washington Post: Life Lessons From A Small-Town Undertaker As White Women Die Younger In America
Over the last 15 years, McCreary County has seen a 75 percent increase in the mortality rate for white women between the ages of 35 and 59, one of the highest increases in the nation, according to a Washington Post analysis of national mortality rates. The analysis also showed that the mortality rate for similarly aged white women nationally increased 23 percent; for white men increased 16 percent; for black women decreased 10 percent; for black men decreased 20 percent; for Hispanic women decreased 11 percent; and for Hispanic men decreased 16 percent. (McCoy, 8/20)
NPR: An Arizona Town Moves To Regulate Sober Living Homes
You hear similar stories from others who come to this idyllic mountain community to shake their addiction. Outdoor recreation, a mild climate, scenic vistas and a welcoming attitude toward those in recovery is touted in a promotional video by a group called Drug Rehab Arizona. And with its motto "Welcome to Everybody's Hometown," Prescott has become a hub for the multi-billion-dollar recovery industry. It's even listed by the recovery website TheFix as one of the top 10 destinations in the country to get sober. (Stone, 8/22)
Denver Post: Strapped Towns In Southeast Colorado Struggle To Fight Heroin’s Spread
Heroin is entrenched in Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo, but it’s now also leaving its mark in rural corners of the state that lack the resources of their big-city counterparts. The Otero County deputies on the recent raid had no drug-sniffing dogs, months of wiretaps or experienced state prosecutors at their immediate disposal. On Tuesday in Denver, federal and state authorities announced a year-long investigation into a heroin organization operating in the metro area that netted more than two dozen indictments and the seizure of over $2 million in drugs. In the Lower Arkansas, there are only a few drug investigators dedicated to covering a vast stretch of towns and highways. (Paul, 8/20)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Hopes And Fears Accompany Launch Of Pa.'s New Overdose-Prevention Tool
Pennsylvania this week is at last going to launch what is frequently described as one of the most effective public policy tools to rein in out-of-control opioid overdose rates. Starting Thursday, the statewide prescription database will allow medical providers to check for evidence that their patients may be abusing or selling drugs -- getting the same oxycodone scripts from multiple doctors and filling them at different pharmacies, for example. (Sapatkin, 8/22)
