Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump's Plan To Combat Opioid Crisis Includes Death Penalty For Drug Dealers
Politico: Exclusive: Trump Finalizing Opioid Plan That Includes Death Penalty For Dealers
The Trump administration is finalizing a long-awaited plan that it says will solve the opioid crisis, but it also calls for law enforcement measures — like the death penalty for some drug dealers — that public health advocates and congressional Republicans warn will detract from efforts to reverse the epidemic. The ambitious plan, which the White House has quietly been circulating among political appointees this month, could be announced as soon as Monday when President Donald Trump visits New Hampshire, a state hard hit by the epidemic. It includes a mix of prevention and treatment measures that advocates have long endorsed, as well as beefed-up enforcement in line with the president’s frequent calls for a harsh crackdown on drug traffickers and dealers. (Diamond, 3/15)
The Associated Press: Trump To Visit NH To Talk About Plan To Combat Opioids
President Donald Trump will be traveling to New Hampshire to unveil more of his plan to combat the nation’s opioid crisis. The White House says the president and First Lady Melania Trump will travel to the Granite State on Monday. Trump had come under fire for being slow to act on the drug crisis but has begun rolling out new plans. He had promised during the campaign to make fighting the epidemic a priority. (3/15)
In other news on the crisis —
Stat: Hospitals Confront A New Opioid Crisis: An Alarming Shortage Of Pain Meds
The incident command system kicked in at Brigham and Women’s Hospital about a week ago. A large team of doctors, pharmacists, and nurses began assembling every morning to confront an emerging crisis with the potential to severely undermine care for patients. The challenge was different than it was during the Boston Marathon bombing, another event that triggered the command response. This one wasn’t rushing toward caregivers as fast. But it was similarly daunting and logistically demanding: Amid a nationwide crisis caused by too-easy access to medical painkillers, hospitals are now struggling to find enough of that same class of drugs to keep their patients’ pain controlled. (Ross, 3/15)
The Washington Post: Alexandria Sues Pharmaceutical Companies Over Opioid Crisis
The city of Alexandria, Va., is suing sellers of prescription painkillers, saying drug addiction has killed scores of residents and overwhelmed city services. Alexandria is asking $100 million from the companies, which include manufacturers, distributors and pharmaceutical providers. The city joins dozens of state, county and city governments across the country that have taken opioid providers to court to argue that the companies that profited so much from the drugs should help pay for their destructive effects. Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland are among those who have sued opioid manufacturers and distributors. (Weiner and Stein, 3/15)
WBUR: Emergency Rooms Share Patient Records To Catch Patients Who Bounce From One To Another
A woman addicted to opioids walks into an emergency room, complaining of severe dental pain, leaves with a prescription for opioids and repeats the visit one week later, at another ER. A man complaining of chest pain is rushed to a hospital, gets a full battery of tests, is discharged and repeats the same round of tests in a different ER the following day. ... Now [the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians], in collaboration with the Massachusetts Hospital Association (MHA), has launched a pilot program that will alert hospitals across the state to patients who are in and out of emergency rooms on a regular basis. (Bebinger, 3/15)
