Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Amid Escalating Opioid Crisis, With Resources Stretched Beyond Capacity, Ohio Turns To Feds
Officials in Cuyahoga County in northern Ohio, where nearly 200 people have died of heroin and fentanyl overdoses so far this year, are asking the federal government to help them combat an accelerating drug epidemic that reached new heights last month. A total of 45 people died of heroin and fentanyl overdoses in and around Cleveland in May, with 15 such deaths occurring over the final week of the month. The county is asking for additional funds and increased access to naloxone, which can reverse an overdose, as well as changes to Medicaid reimbursement rules so hospitals can treat more people with drug addictions. (Maher and Kamp, 6/9)
Overdose deaths from the powerful synthetic opioid that killed rock legend Prince in April increased 83 percent in Maryland last year, according to the state鈥檚 Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The latest data on Maryland overdose deaths, which the department released Thursday, showed 340 fentanyl-related fatalities in 2015, compared with 186 the previous year. The rise continues an alarming trend that began in 2013. Since that year, the number of fentanyl-related deaths has increased 颅12-fold. (Hicks, 6/9)
A new 25-point strategy for dealing with New York's heroin and opioid problem calls for limiting prescriptions, boosting treatment and greater support for those trying to stay clean. Gov. Andrew Cuomo released the recommendations Thursday. They now go to the state Legislature, which is expected to approve a comprehensive plan to combat the rise in heroin and opioid addiction before ending the 2016 session next week. The proposals announced by Cuomo include changes in insurance rules to encourage addicts to get help, greater funding for treatment, new training for doctors who prescribe opioids, new rules to limit acute pain medication to seven-day prescriptions, and expanded access to overdose antidotes. (6/9)
From 2006 to 2011, the number of newborns in withdrawal more than doubled in New Hampshire, and hospitals say the problem is only getting worse. (Ganley and Brindley 6/9)
