The CDC has listed substance use disorders, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and mood disorders, including depression as underlying medical conditions associated with higher risk for severe COVID-19. Individuals with comorbidities are encouraged to be vaccinated against COVID-19, including a booster. Detailed information is available on CDC’s Underlying Medical Conditions Associated with Higher Risk for Severe COVID-19: […]
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Howard County funds $1.5M for SUD residential treatment centers
From the Baltimore Sun Howard County announces $1.5 million in funding for substance-use disorder residential treatment centers October 5, 2021 | by Katie V. Jones Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced Tuesday that $1.5 million in grant funding would be divided between three county residential treatment centers for those facing substance-use disorders: Howard House in […]
Filmmaker highlights language barriers fueling overdose crisis in Philly’s Black communities
From Metro Philly, by Brandon Dorfman, September 1, 2021 In the new short film “OPIOIDS: A Breakdown of the Invisible Overdose Crisis in the Black Community,” artist and filmmaker Richard Patterson, Jr. recalls Philadelphia’s transition from crack cocaine to Percocets and the language barriers that separated the Black community. Everyone talked about percs, Patterson said […]
Methamphetamine Deaths Soar, Hitting Black And Native Americans Especially Hard
From NPR, by Brian Mann, 09/22/21 When Winnie White Tail convened a new session of inpatient substance use treatment last month for members of the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes, she found that roughly half her clients were struggling with methamphetamine addiction. “It’s readily available, it’s easy to get,” White Tail says. She’s a Cheyenne tribal […]
Opioid prescriptions fell over past decade while drug overdose deaths climbed: AMA report
From The Hill, by Justine Coleman, 09/21/21 Physicians have prescribed 44 percent less opioids over the past decade, yet fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses have continued to climb, according to a new report from the American Medical Association (AMA). The association called on lawmakers to “act now” over the overdose statistic. AMA’s report documented a […]
Uncontrollable vomiting due to marijuana use on rise, study finds
From CNN, by Sandee LaMotte, 09/17/21 An unusual illness is on the rise in the United States, especially in states that have legalized marijuana. Habitual users of cannabis, including teenagers, are showing up in emergency rooms complaining of severe intestinal distress. “They are writhing, holding their stomach, complaining of really bad abdominal pain and nausea,” […]
Overdose Deaths In State Prisons Have Jumped Dramatically Since 2001
From NPR, by Beth Schwartzapfel and Jimmy Jenkins, July 15, 2021 Prisons and jails in the United States have been increasingly deadly places in recent years, according to new federal data. But one cause of death has climbed most dramatically: overdoses. From 2001 to 2018, the number of people who have died of drug or […]
Vaping linked to increased eating disorder risk among US college students
From Fox News, by Kayla Rivas, 09/14/21 Recent vaping or e-cigarette use was associated with an increased risk of an eating disorder and a higher likelihood of a self-reported eating disorder diagnosis, according to a recent study. While vaping is common among young adults and eating disorder onset typically occurs before age 25, the association […]
OUD Treatment Restrictions Eased
HHS Releases New Buprenorphine Practice Guidelines, Expanding Access to Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Tuesday, April 27, 2021 In an effort to get evidenced-based treatment to more Americans with opioid use disorder, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is releasing new buprenorphine practice guidelines that among other things, remove a longtime requirement tied […]
Telehealth Addiction Treatment Comes of Age
From Treatment Magazine Virtual healthcare, which has proliferated and become more sophisticated during the pandemic, will be an even greater presence in the future By Jason Langendorf Eight months was all it took for Eric Bogue to be transformed from a person frustrated and only half-interested in his recovery into a true believer and apostle […]