From the Hill. Study: Not Enough Providers to Address Opioid Epidemic in 11 states by Jessie Hellmann States in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic don’t have enough doctors to address the opioid epidemic, according to a new study released this week. Eleven states and the District of Columbia lack an adequate number of providers to prescribe […]
Opioids
DEA to allow PAs and NPs to dispense MAT
From The Fix. DEA Increases Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment More qualified medical professionals are now allowed to prescribe buprenorphine, an opioid dependency medication. A new deregulatory measure will allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants to prescribe and dispense the opioid dependency drug buprenorphine, which will grant increased access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in areas of the country where […]
NREPP Suspended
From the Washington Post. Trump administration freezes database of addiction and mental health treatments Federal health officials have suspended a program that helps thousands of professionals and community groups across the country find effective interventions for preventing and treating mental illness and substance-use disorders. The National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) is housed within the […]
The Link Between Opioid Overdoses and Amnesia Is Only Getting Stronger
From the Atlantic. Read the full article. by Lauren Aguirre As more cases turn up, doctors are concerned about the extent to which memory loss may be undetected. Just over five years ago, a man suffering from amnesia following a suspected drug overdose appeared at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts, a Boston […]
Google Bans Sketchy UK Ads for Profiteering Addiction Helplines
From Engadget. Click here for original article. Google’s not having the best start to the year, as it’s already been called out, yet again, for unscrupulous advertising practices. An investigation by The Sunday Times shed light on a significant money-making machine, which played out through Google ads, targeting people seeking help for substance abuse issues. Someone entering relevant […]
#NDAFW Shatter the Myths
Opioid Use among Teens at Historic Low with Vaping and Marijuana on the Rise
From Capitol Connector. Original article. by Katiri Zuluaga The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released its annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey results highlighting historic lows of cigarette, heroin and methamphetamine use and increases in vaping and marijuana use among adolescents. The study surveyed over 47,000 students in 8th, 10th and 12th grade in both public and […]
The Latest Opioid Apps are Hot Off the HHS Data Press
From EfficientGov. Full article. by Andrea Fox To fight the opioid epidemic, the HHS opioid code-a-thon produced opioid apps that present first responders, law enforcement and physicians with new hope. After 24 straight hours of development, a half-dozen finalist teams — out of more than 50 — presented their opioid apps on December 7th at […]
CEA Estimates the Economic Cost of the Opioid Epidemic was $504 Billion in 2015
Report from the Council of Economic Advisers. The Underestimated Cost of the Opioid Epidemic Executive Summary November 2017 The opioid drug problem has reached crisis levels in the United States—in 2015, over 33,000 Americans died of a drug overdose involving opioids. CEA finds that previous estimates of the economic cost of the opioid crisis greatly […]
Chronic Pain Common Among Those Who OD on Opioids
From HealthDay. Click here to view the original article. By Alan Mozes More than 60 percent of opioid overdose deaths involve people who suffer from chronic pain, a new analysis reveals. Many of them also struggled with depression or anxiety, the investigators found. The findings stem from a study that examined the medical backgrounds […]