Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Its People Are Dying At Alarming Rates, But This City Just Can't Make A Dent In Its Opioid Crisis
This city, where the rate of drug overdose deaths is nearly 10 times the national average, has done more than most to fight the heroin and prescription painkiller epidemic. ... But instead of getting better, Huntington’s opioid problem is getting worse. (Vestal, 9/26)
Drugs are the leading cause of accidental death in this country. Fatal overdoses surpassed shooting deaths and fatal traffic accidents years ago. For perspective on how fast drug deaths have risen, Anderson said, consider the sharp rise in heart disease in the early half of the 20th century. It took about 50 years for the rate of heart disease to double. It took drug deaths a fraction of that time. (Christensen and Hernandez, 9/24)
In other news on the opioid crisis —
Physicians, pharmacists and in some states, police, will have access to new or enhanced, state-wide prescription drug databases that will be funded by $8.8 million in new grants from the Justice Department. The grants will go to 20 agencies in 19 states, including Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio, South Dakota, Florida and Utah. (Conn, 9/26)
The County Council on Monday night voted unanimously to join a new regional prescription drug monitoring program aimed at reducing the abuse of OxyContin and other painkillers. The program, already set to include St. Louis County and St. Louis, will get around the Legislature’s failure to set up a statewide monitoring network. Missouri is the only state in the country without a statewide program. (Schlinkmann, 9/26)
At a recent town hall meeting in Raleigh, state officials rolled out hard numbers on the state’s epidemic of prescription and illegal drugs, drawing a clear picture of its impact on government and law enforcement. (Goldsmith, 9/27)
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's proposal to keep the government funded included one below-the-radar addition: funding to combat the opioid epidemic. While senators in both parties support addressing the issue, the move had some Democrats crying foul. The Kentucky Republican unveiled last week a draft continuing resolution to fund the government through Dec. 9, after spending talks stalled between Senate leaders. His proposal included $37 million in annual funds for implementing the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, or CARA, which became law in July. (Bowman, 9/26)
