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…]
Tag: overdose deaths
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…]
Here’s who controls the $50 billion opioid settlement funds in each state
Kaiser Health News | By Aneri Pattani Published July 10, 2023 at 9:41 AM EDT As more than $50 billion makes its way to state and local governments to compensate for the opioid epidemic, people with high hopes for the money are already fighting over a little-known bureaucratic arm of the process:[Read More…]
Kentucky alert system reports high number of overdoses
BY ERIN KELLY IN KENTUCKY PUBLISHED 5:00 PM ET JUL. 10, 2023 ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. — The Lincoln Trail District Health Department shared an alert this month saying that Baptist Health Hardin and Flaget Memorial Hospital in Nelson County reported an unusually high number of nonfatal drug overdoses. What You Need To Know Health[Read More…]
Substance Abuse Is Climbing Among Seniors
Many aging baby boomers have long histories with drugs, cannabis and alcohol. “The field wasn’t ready for that,” said one expert. By Paula Span | July 9, 2023 When Dr. Benjamin Han, a geriatrician and addiction medicine specialist, meets new patients at the School of Medicine at the University of California,[Read More…]
More than half of Kentucky’s counties now have harm reduction programs for IV drug users
Two syringe services opened this year as Estill County went to a mobile clinic after Irvine council balked. BY: MELISSA PATRICK, KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS JULY 6, 2023 Kentucky has added two new syringe-service programs for intravenous drug users this year, bringing the total to 84 SSPs, in 65 of the state’s[Read More…]
Henderson Police Department planning latest free Narcan giveaway
By Adam Kight, WEVV-TV July 5, 2023 HENDERSON, Ky. (WEVV) — The Henderson Police Department is hosting another Narcan giveaway in a continued effort to combat drug overdoses in the community. HPD says its latest Narcan giveaway will be held on Friday, July 14. The giveaway is happening from noon[Read More…]
DEA administrator says Congress needs to pass laws to keep social media from serving as platforms to promote, sell fentanyl
KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS Monday, July 3, 2023 Events, trends, issues, ideas and independent journalism about health care and health in Kentucky, from the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky. The U.S. needs laws to force social-media companies to keep their platforms from being used[Read More…]
THIS WEEK RECAP: Kentucky Recovery News | Weekly Update
Treatment, Recovery & Prevention Kentucky Lantern: Opioid settlement payouts to localities made public for the first time Virginia Chamber: Addiction Recovery Care lays the groundwork for improving behavioral health outcomes in Virginia Bottom Line: New reports demonstrate the need for Kentucky leaders to continue fight against substance use disorder crisis[Read More…]
Drug deaths drop in Kentucky, but fentanyl still rages
By Mark Payne June 20, 2023 The number of drug overdose deaths dropped in Kentucky last year, according to the most recent report from the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy. But deaths from fentanyl and methamphetamine still remain high. Experts in NKY are saying that fentanyl and methamphetamine are[Read More…]