From Book Stacks to Psychosis and Food Stamps, Librarians Confront a New Workplace
As public libraries morph into support hubs for homeless people with mental illness or addiction, librarians are struggling to reconcile their shifting roles.
Substance Misuse
121 - 140 of 390 Results
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They Call It 鈥楾ranq鈥 鈥 And It鈥檚 Making Street Drugs Even More Dangerous
Xylazine, an animal tranquilizer, has made it into the illegal drug supply of opioids and cocaine. It is changing the way outreach workers treat overdoses and may be responsible for grisly injuries and infections among people who unknowingly inject it.
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Crowdsourced Data on Overdoses Pinpoints Where to Help
University of Texas researchers are testing a program that would allow harm reduction groups to crowdsource data on fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses statewide. While the data relies on word of mouth, they say, it is more comprehensive than anything that exists now and can be used immediately to prevent overdoses.
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Overdose Deaths Behind Bars Rise as Drug Crisis Swells
Drug-related mortality rates have increased in prisons and jails even as the number of people incarcerated for drug offenses has dropped. The pandemic lockdowns on visitors didn't eliminate the problem, showcasing that guards have been a source of the contraband.
By LJ Dawson -
Sobering Lessons in Untying the Knot of a Homeless Crisis
The homeless tragedy in Portland, Oregon, now spills well beyond the downtown core, creating a crisis of conscience for a fiercely liberal city that has generously invested in homeless support services.
By Angela Hart -
The Blackfeet Nation鈥檚 Plight Underscores the Fentanyl Crisis on Reservations
The deadly synthetic opioid has spread across the nation during the pandemic, and the problem is disproportionately affecting Native Americans.
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National Addiction Treatment Locator Has Outdated Data and Other Critical Flaws
Three years after a government site launched to connect Americans to treatment, finding addiction care is still a struggle.
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Can a Monthly Injection Be the Key to Curbing Addiction? These Experts Say Yes
In California, where overdose deaths are on the rise, physicians say administering anti-addiction medication as a monthly injection holds tremendous potential. So, why aren鈥檛 more patients getting it?
By Jenny Gold -
LA Mayoral Hopefuls Agree Addressing Homelessness Is Crucial but Disagree on How
The top candidates to lead California鈥檚 most populous city have pledged to expand services for homeless people struggling with mental illness and substance use disorders. But they differ on whether the city should control homeless funding or continue a partnership with the county.
By Linda Marsa -
Journalists Discuss Insulin Costs and Ethical Questions Surrounding a North Carolina Rehab Program
KHN staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here鈥檚 a collection of their appearances.
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Calls to Overhaul Methadone Distribution Intensify, but Clinics Resist
The pandemic has shown that loosening the strict regulations on distributing methadone helps people recovering from addiction stay in treatment. But clinics with a financial stake in keeping the status quo don鈥檛 want to make permanent changes.
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鈥楴o Mercy鈥 Bonus Episodes: More From Fort Scott, Kansas
Check out the latest bonus episodes from the award-winning "Where It Hurts" podcast.
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KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: The Politics of Vaccine Mandates
Like almost everything else associated with the covid-19 pandemic, partisans are taking sides over whether vaccines should be mandated. Meanwhile, Democrats on Capitol Hill are still struggling to find compromise in their effort to expand health insurance and other social programs. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Jen Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews best-selling author Beth Macy about her book 鈥淒opesick,鈥 and the new Hulu miniseries based on it.
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Needle Exchanges Are Targeted by Eco-Rooted Lawsuits. A New California Law Will Stop That.
Opponents of free needle programs in California are using environmental regulations to shut them down. On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will end that strategy.
By Rachel Bluth -
Listen: California Banks on a Bold Treatment: Pay Drug Users to Stop Using
As the pandemic has raged so has the country鈥檚 drug epidemic. California is looking to a controversial solution for certain drug users, but despite its effectiveness, critics have scoffed at the idea calling it unethical or a bribe.
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From Uber Rides to Patient Advocates: What It Takes to Increase ER Addiction Treatment
Despite widespread consensus on the importance of addiction treatment in the ER, many hospitals fail to screen for substance use, offer medications to treat opioid use disorder or connect patients to follow-up care. But some are working to change that.
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As Holdout Missouri Joins Nation in Monitoring Opioid Prescriptions, Experts Worry
Missouri is the last state to create a monitoring program to help spot the misuse of prescription drugs. But some public health experts warn that the nation鈥檚 programs are forcing people addicted to opioids to seek deadlier street options.
By Eric Berger -
How ERs Fail Patients With Addiction: One Patient鈥檚 Tragic Death
Two intractable failings of the U.S. health care system 鈥 addiction treatment and medical costs 鈥 come to a head in the ER, where patients desperate for addiction treatment arrive, only to find the facility may not be equipped to deal with substance use or, if they are, treatment is prohibitively expensive.
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Journalists Discuss New Alzheimer’s Drug, Women’s Alcohol Use, the Hip-Hop and Opioids Link
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here鈥檚 a collection of their appearances.
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Mental Health Services Wane as Insurers Appear to Skirt Parity Rules During Pandemic
A report from the Government Accountability Office paints a picture of an already strained behavioral health system struggling after the pandemic struck to meet the treatment needs of millions of Americans with conditions like alcohol use disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.