Articles

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...

UK Medical Team Shares Findings in Combatting Opioid Crisis

The 2022 RX and Illicit Drug Summit in Atlanta brought together physicians, researchers and policymakers focused on addressing addiction issues. That included several experts from UK who are on the front lines of the opioid and addiction crises. “Pain is not a diagnosis. Pain is a symptom of an underlying disease that we need to get...

Help and Stay Safe In The Case of Fentanyl Overdose

Fentanyl Overdose?…What You Need To Know! Signs of an opioid overdose include breathing problems and lack of responsiveness If you see someone experiencing an overdose, call 911 and administer naloxone if it’s available Rolling someone onto their side and starting CPR can help buy time for EMS to arrive Take precautions to prevent secondhand exposure...

Discrimination Based on Opioid Treatment Violates Law

In guidelines published Tuesday, the department’s Civil Rights Division said employers, health care providers, law enforcement agencies that operate jails and others are violating the Americans with Disabilities Act if they discriminate against people for taking prescription drugs to treat opioid use disorder. “People who have stopped illegally using drugs should not face discrimination when...