Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
For Native Americans, Access To Opioid Treatment Is The Exception Not The Norm
Nationwide, Native Americans are at least twice as likely as the general population to become addicted to drugs and alcohol, and three times as likely to die of a drug overdose. In Washington state, Indians die of drug overdoses at a rate of 29 in 100,000, compared to a rate of 12 for whites, 11 for blacks, 3 for Hispanics and 2 for Asians, according to the state Health Department. Compounding the problem, the majority of the nation’s 2.9 million Indians living on and off reservations have little to no access to health care, much less mental health and addiction services. (Vestal, 12/6)
In other news on the opioid crisis —
Bryan Smith's mother forced him into rehab at the age of 15 when she discovered that he smoked marijuana. That was not the drug that would put him on the path to heroin addiction. That drug was a muscle relaxer prescribed to him that same year by his doctor to treat his back problems. Now 32, Smith has been a heroin addict for nearly half his life. (Heisig, 12/6)
The epidemic of opioid overdoses continues to grip Delray Beach. The city saw 75 heroin overdoses last month, with 4 of them fatal. That’s a slight decrease from October, which brought an all-time high of 88 heroin overdoses resulting in 11 fatalities. Delray Beach emergency personnel attribute the spike in overdoses to synthetic opioids like fentanyl being added to heroin sold on the street. (Haden, 12/5)
The weekend's fatal ODs happened in a 36-hour period from 8:35 a.m. Saturday to 8 p.m. Sunday, and most were in the 24th Police District, which covers parts of Kensington, Juniata Park, and Port Richmond, said Lt. John Stanford, police spokesman. At this rate, Philadelphia is likely to reach 900 fatal drug overdoses this year, officials said. That would be more than triple the city's homicide rate. Until the Medical Examiner's Office officially rules on causes of death for the nine people who died this weekend, the cases are being handled as sudden-death investigations, although Stanford said they all appear to be "related to narcotics use." (Far and Avril, 12/5)
On Monday, the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester officially launched MCRT, a team of professionals who will respond to people whose mental health or drug problem has reached a crisis level. More than a year in the making, the MCRT makes clinicians and peer counselors available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And they’re mobile, ready to respond to calls in the greater Manchester area from New Boston to Candia. (Hayward, 12/6)
