This story, originally published by CNN, appeared Jan. 14, 2019. Copyright 2019 CNN. (CNN) — For the first time on record the odds of accidentally dying from an opioid overdose in the United States are now greater than those of dying in an automobile accident. The grim finding comes from the National Safety Council which analyzed preventable injury… [Read More]
Opioids kill kids, too – through accidental overdose, suicide and homicide
This story, originally published by USA Today, appeared Dec. 28, 2018. Copyright 2018 USA Today. Almost 9,000 children and teenagers died from opioid poisoning from 1999 to 2016, and annual deaths increased threefold over the 18 years, a team of researchers at Yale University reported Friday. The finding suggests the opioid epidemic will likely continue, the team said, unless legislators, public health officials, doctors and… [Read More]
Nurse prescribed ‘colossal’ amount of opioids, kept license through error, state says
This story, originally published by The Tennessean, appeared Dec. 25, 2018. Copyright 2018 The Tennessean. An east Tennessee nurse practitioner who once prescribed a patient 51 pills a day was allowed to keep her nursing license because of a fundamental error by members of a state nursing board, according to new arguments from state attorneys. Christina Collins, 43, who… [Read More]
Teen vaping continues to rise while other drug use declines, survey finds
This story, originally published by CNN, appeared Dec. 17, 2018. Copyright 2018 CNN. (CNN) — Vaping among America’s teenagers continues to climb, while the use of other substances — such as alcohol and opioids — has declined in recent years, according to a new report.Monday’s report, called Monitoring the Future, comes from the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social… [Read More]
Nearly 30 percent of patients prescribed opioids had no recorded pain diagnoses
This story, originally published by PBS NewsHour, appeared Sept. 10, 2018. Copyright 2018 PBS NewsHour. Nearly 30 percent of U.S. patients prescribed opioids by doctors over the course of a decade had no recorded pain diagnosis, according to a new letter published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers analyzed data from 31,943 visits in… [Read More]
The opioid crisis hits home. Mine.
This story, originally published by USA Today, appeared Sept. 5, 2018. Copyright 2018 USA Today. Our son Scott fatally overdosed last November. Nothing can bring him back, but I’ve learned some things that might help others cope with this affliction. Whenever I meet someone new at a social gathering, the question typically comes up within… [Read More]