From Newsweek By Tracy Lee Children are becoming “second victims” in the adult opioid epidemic. According to a study released Monday, youth admission to U.S. hospitals nearly doubled. The number of children admitted to hospitals and pediatric intensive care units for opioid-related cases rose from 797 patients between 2004 and 2007, to 1,504 patients between 2012 and 2015. […]
Spotlight
Region 3 in desperate need of providers to fight #OpioidEpidemic
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 […]
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 […]
#IAmHHS Jean Bennett
Our Region 3 Administrator, Jean Bennett, says one of her main jobs is to make sure every conversation about health includes behavioral health #IAmHHS As the Region III administrator for SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, I have the privilege of working with and serving the people of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, […]
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 […]
NIH study shows steep increase in rate of alcohol-related ER visits
From NIH. Increases were larger among females than males, providing more evidence of narrowing gender gaps in alcohol-related harms in the U.S. The rate of alcohol-related visits to U.S. emergency departments (ED) increased by nearly 50 percent between 2006 and 2014, especially among females and drinkers who are middle-aged or older, according to a new […]
Increase in hepatitis C infections linked to worsening opioid crisis
From HIV.gov. This is only a portion of the article. View the full article here. Spike in new infections could have devastating long-term consequences New research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that the recent steep increase in cases of acute hepatitis C virus infection is associated with increases in opioid […]
Cigarette Smoking Is Increasing Among Americans with Drug Problems
From ScienceDaily Odds of smoking among Americans with a substance use disorder are more than five times greater than the overall population. While cigarette smoking has declined in the U.S. for the past several decades, since 2002 the prevalence of smoking has increased significantly among people with an illicit substance use disorder, according to a […]