Articles

Kentucky Narcan Vending Machine Emptied Day After Installed

Police Chief Kenny Mattingly introduced the Narcan Dispensing machine outside the Vine Grove Police Department building Thursday but noted the dispenser was empty by 6:00 p.m. Friday. Mattingly was inspired to install the Bluegrass State’s first Narcan vending machine after witnessing a young woman save a friend’s life who overdosed in a bathroom earlier this...

Many Who Need Opioid OD Antidote the Most Can’t Afford It

Between 2014 and 2018, naloxone costs rose 500% for those without insurance. About 20% of adults who have an opioid use disorder are uninsured. Nearly one-third of opioid overdose deaths happen in those with no insurance, the study authors noted. At Fresh Start naloxone is provided at no cost, whether someone has insurance or not. https://www.kentuckynewera.com/lifestyles/health/article_41c43777-71b5-5b1f-8b4c-d4e5cdfc1c3c.html

Methamphetamine, Opioid Co-Use Tied to More Nonfatal Overdoses

Methamphetamine and opioid co-users are more likely to have nonfatal overdoses compared with users of either drug alone, according to a study published online in JAMA Network Open. https://www.hazard-herald.com/lifestyles/health/methamphetamine-opioid-co-use-tied-to-more-nonfatal-overdoses/article_ed054f19-4f9a-5a9b-844b-d7a0c54b197f.html

Black Overdose Deaths Continue to Trend Upward

Kentucky is #2 in the nation for rates of overdose deaths. Fatal drug overdoses rose nearly 15% in Kentucky last year, surpassing 2,000 deaths. Black overdose deaths continue to trend upward with Black Kentuckians now representing 10.26% of fatal overdoses despite comprising only 8.6% of the population of the state. At Fresh Start all patients...

Prenatal Opioid Exposure

A new MU study links changes in gut bacteria to prenatal opioid exposure. Opioids impact the gut microbiome, which is a collection of bacteria that naturally live inside the gut of a fetus. https://www.komu.com/news/midmissourinews/mu-study-indicates-prenatal-opioid-exposure-could-result-in-long-term-neurological-effects/article_0db241e0-11c8-11ed-aef8-4b2007a36bc2.html

Community Health Days Event!

Fresh Start Clinics to Distribute Fentanyl Test Strips

Fresh Start Clinics will soon have FENTANYL TEST STRIPS which will save lives by helping individuals assess risk of their drug supply. FENTANYL: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is about 50 times as potent as heroin. People use fentanyl because it is cheap to manufacture and a small amount goes...

Preventing substance use and addiction; legislature passed several initiatives that matter

Rep. Kim Moser Dalton’s Law – Trafficking – HB 215 enhances the penalty for importing carfentanil, fentanyl, or fentanyl derivatives to a Class C Felony. Substance Abuse Intervention – HB 362 allows for cross-examination of health care professions performing the evaluation and court ordered treatment to be issued if the court finds proof beyond a reasonable...

Take Action! These Two Bills Will Save Lives!

The Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act is a bipartisan piece of legislation that would eliminate the separate waiver, called DATA 2000 X-waiver, needed to prescribe buprenorphine for addiction treatment. The Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act is designed to ensure that all DEA-controlled medication prescribers have a baseline knowledge of how to prevent addiction and...

Dangerous Prescriptions of Opioids-Plus-Sedatives Plummet in U.S.

And now for something positive… Reacting to the nation’s opioid epidemic, doctors in the United States are co-prescribing fewer opioid painkillers and benzodiazepines such as Ativan and Xanax, federal health officials report. When these drugs are taken together, the odds of an overdose, even a fatal overdose, increase sharply. Taking opioids and benzodiazepines together can lead...