3 tactics to break the stigma of substance use conditions at work. By Suzette Glasner Substance use conditions can be detrimental to a person’s personal and professional life. Because of the stigma associated with substance use, struggling people aren’t given many opportunities to succeed—especially in the workplace. Employees’ fears of[Read More…]
National News
Remember opioid crisis? It’s gotten worse.
Narcan, generically known as naloxone and used to revive people who overdose on opioids, may not reverse an overdose on xylazine, an animal tranquilizer that has found its way to the streets. Matt Rourke, AP Photo Researchers say a series of interventions appear to help with overdose deaths, but warn[Read More…]
Monthly Buprenorphine Initiation Rates Remain Flat, Despite Policy Changes
Jul 19, 2023 Killian Meara Only 1 in 5 patients who initiated buprenorphine were retained in therapy for at least 180 days. Despite several policy changes that aimed to increase access to buprenorphine during the COVID-19 pandemic, monthly initiation rates of buprenorphine therapy have remained flat, according to research results.1[Read More…]
COVID has been hiding another epidemic. We have to do more for our opioid patients.
Last year alone, nearly 110,000 people died from opiate use. This is a pill Americans cannot afford to continue to swallow. Dr. Thomas K. Lew | Opinion Contributor A 40-year-old man arrives in my hospital’s emergency department, blue from not breathing. It takes several rounds of medication and ventilators to[Read More…]
Better Than Drugs? Scientists Use Hugs To Treat Opioid-Exposed Newborns
A clinical trial conducted by UNM has identified the best care practices for newborns exposed to opioids. According to recent research by the University of New Mexico, hugging and swaddling newborns exposed to opioids can decrease their hospitalization period by nearly a week, in contrast to traditional drug-oriented treatments. Over the[Read More…]
AMERICA’S APPROACH TO ADDICTION HAS GONE OFF THE RAILS
In a time of fentanyl and meth, we need to use law enforcement differently—and more often. By Sam Quinones This article was featured in One Story to Read Today, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a single must-read from The Atlantic, Monday through Friday. Sign up for it here. In Louisville, Kentucky,[Read More…]
How the pandemic spurred a push to expand methadone access
BY JOSEPH CHOI | 07/12/23 | 5:30 AM ET A bipartisan push to expand methadone access across America is picking up momentum after restrictions on the medication were relaxed during the pandemic. Methadone is one of the most effective treatments available for opioid use disorder (OUD), however experts have long feared[Read More…]
New UCF Study Examines Insurance Barriers to Access Opioid Addiction Medication
While insurance coverage of some forms of buprenorphine has improved over the years, researchers say coverage of new, more effective forms of the medication is lacking. By Danielle Hendrix ’15 | July 12, 2023 In 2021, more people died from opioid overdoses in the U.S. than any other year in history, according[Read More…]
White House launches national response plan for combatting ‘tranq’ drug deaths
By NATHANIEL WEIXEL | 07/11/23 | 5:00 AM ET The Biden administration is rolling out a national response plan to deal with the threat of fentanyl combined with xylazine. Xylazine, also known as “tranq,” is an easily accessible veterinary drug approved for use in animals as a sedative and pain reliever. But it is[Read More…]
Addressing the Opioid Crisis: A Look at the Evolving Landscape of Federal OUD Treatment Policies
By Heather Saunders & Nirmita Panchal | July 11, 2023 Opioid overdose deaths, primarily driven by fentanyl, have surged during the pandemic, exposing significant gaps in access to and availability of treatment. From 2016 to 2021, opioid overdose deaths nearly doubled, from 42,249 to 80,411. By 2021, these deaths accounted for 75% of all fatal drug overdoses, up from 66% in[Read More…]