In the U.S. 115 people die from opioids every day. The number of opioid overdoses increased fivefold from 1999 to 2016. While increased funding for resources like Narcan has helped—the opioid overdose-reversing drug now carried by emergency responders in cities throughout the country—changes to standard healthcare practices are still sorely needed. Ashwin A Patkar, …
Thirty-year-old Madelyn Linsenmeir, pictured on one of her routine walks with son Ayden. “Her addiction didn’t define her, but it did define the way she lived,” Linsenmeir’s sister, Kate O’Neill, wrote in an obituary that moved readers nationwide this week. Courtesy of Maura O’Neill Every day, the opioid epidemic claims an estimated 115 lives. But …
The Viral Obituary Of An Opioid Addict: ‘She’s Just One Face’ Of The EpidemicRead More »
Some sixty “Opioid Overdose Kits” have been added defibrillator boxes in Bridgewater State University dorms and academic buildings like this one. Tovia Smith / NPR As the opioid epidemic has escalated around the nation, colleges and universities have been spared the brunt of it. Opioid addiction and overdoses are more rare on campuses than among …
On College Campuses, Making Overdose Medication Readily AvailableRead More »
By Marcia Moore mmoore@dailyitem.com The nation’s deadly opioid crisis has been allowed to flourish due to the failings of a number of entities, says a Geisinger Health System addiction specialist. “This is bigger than just the FDA,” said Dr. Margaret Jarvis, medical director of Geisinger’s residential addiction treatment center, referring to a Raycom InvestigateTV report …
Congress is doing something about the opioid epidemic. But experts say it’s not enough. By German Lopez@germanrlopezgerman.lopez@vox.com Updated Oct 3, 2018, 4:03pm EDT The Senate on Wednesday voted 98-1 on a rare bipartisan package to address the opioid epidemic, sending the measure, following the House’s 393-8 approval last Friday, to President Donald Trump’s desk for his expected signature. If …
The Senate just passed a bipartisan bill to confront the opioid epidemicRead More »
Ohio’s ballot initiative, Issue 1, will let voters decide whether to defelonize drug possession. By German Lopez@germanrlopezgerman.lopez@vox.com Oct 12, 2018, 8:00am EDT This November, Ohio voters will have an opportunity to deal a blow to the war on drugs and mass incarceration. Ohio Issue 1, a ballot initiative, would reduce drug possession offenses to misdemeanors, so they’re …
How Ohio voters could upend the state’s war on drugs this NovemberRead More »
Medical doctors, inadvertently and meaning to serve their patients, too often overprescribed opioid pain pills, like OxyContin, Vicodin, and Percodan. Coupled with misleading information about the safety of these drugs and a growing focus to not undertreat pain, the opioid epidemic began. The plague of overdose deaths continues today. Doctors need to be part of …
Questions and Answers for Clinicians Facing the Opioid EpidemicRead More »
Can a pharmacist legally deny a patient a prescription? That’s the question local doctor and addiction medicine specialist Dr. Ken Starr is struggling to understand after an unusual experience at a Central Coast pharmacy. He treats dozens of patients who are dependent on opioids and he often prescribes Suboxone to reduce symptoms of addiction and …
Doctors, pharmacists not always on the same page when it comes to opioid epidemicRead More »
“Decriminalization is not a silver bullet,” federal Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor said at last week’s Opioid Symposium in Toronto. It’s a well-worn Liberal talking point and it’s technically correct, of course. There is no simple, magical solution to the complex, multi-faceted opioids crisis. But by taking decriminalization off the table, the federal government is …
Decriminalization is one powerful force to ease the overdose crisisRead More »
Suboxone (Ashley L. Conti | BDN) HOULTON (BDN) — A Madawaska woman facing a 40-day sentence for theft at the Aroostook County Jail has filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to continue taking her addiction treatment medication while incarcerated. Brenda Smith’s is the second lawsuit filed recently over the same issue. In July, …
New lawsuit filed over access to Suboxone treatment in Maine jailRead More »
