Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: One Opioid Treatment Not As Safe As Previously Thought; Doctors Are Not OK
Scientific American: Vivitrol, Used To Fight Opioid Misuse, Has A Major Overdose Problem
Vivitrol, a monthly injection of long-acting naltrexone, is the opioid treatment preferred by the criminal prosecution system, including jails, prisons, probation officers and drug courts. This is in part because it is not a controlled substance, unlike the other two medications, and in part because the drug’s maker, Alkermes, has heavily promoted it to those markets by claiming it is as safe as the other medications and easier to administer since it doesn’t have to be taken daily. (Maia Szalavitz, 9/13)
The Tennessean: Physicians Have An Elevated Risk Of Suicide. Here's How To Help Them
In the realm of healing, physicians are the unsung heroes. Yet, behind the white coats and stethoscopes, there is a pressing concern that demands the greater society’s attention: the wellness of our healers themselves. (Ed Cappaelli, 9/13)
The Washington Post: Euthanasia Is Increasing In Quebec, Which Issues A Warning
Rebranded “medical assistance in dying" — “MAiD” — euthanasia in Canada has gone from illegal to commonplace in less than a decade. Since 2016, doctors have administered some 30,000 lethal injections — one-third of them in 2021 alone — at the request of eligible patients. The 2021 number, 10,029, was up 34.7 percent from 7,446 in 2020, and represented 3.3 percent of all deaths. (Charles Lane, 9/13)
Modern Healthcare: AI In Healthcare Could Widen Gaps In Health Disparities
The rapid rise of artificial intelligence creates as much risk to the delivery of healthcare as it does opportunity. One of the most significant risks is that if we don’t develop and deploy AI tools carefully, they could widen existing disparities in care rather than enhance the industry’s efforts to improve health equity. (Dr. Rebecca Grochow Mishuris, 9/12)
Dallas Morning News: Thanks To Organ Donation, I Received A Second Chance At Life
Currently, more than 10,000 Texans are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, with people of color representing nearly 70% of that need, according to Donate Life Texas. Yet, data shows these same communities are less likely to register as donors. As a Black woman in Texas, this isn’t just a data point, it’s my life. (Nichole Jefferson, 9/13)
