“We don't want to make the mistake of saying, oh, homelessness is causing the deaths when it's this underlying opioid use disorder," said researcher from the University of Georgia David Bradford.
Mental health advocates, peers, key leaders, and legislators from across Georgia gathered last week at Georgia's state Capitol asking to be involved with each legislative/gubernatorial commission, study group, or panel created to advise about mental health. They also want lawmakers to bolster the state's mental health workforce shortage by expanding the certified peer specialist (CPS) workforce and supporting a salary increase in parity with other service providers.
When a person with substance use disorder needs immediate care due to withdrawal symptoms or mental health struggles, a behavioral health unit can help.
The federal government made naloxone nasal spray available over the counter this year, and that availability is helping naloxone become a life-saving measure in shelters, jails and schools.
While some harm reduction advocates want to see OPVEE as commercially available as Narcan, others say the medication is so strong that it’s cruel for the patient.
For people living with addiction, it’s been proven that access to evidence-based treatment and support can help keep them alive and stable. But care can be hard to come by and is only possible by combating the stigma around addiction, which is pervasive among providers, the public, and people with addiction themselves.
The majority of drugs tested after an opioid overdose — 90% — contain fentanyl, which is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. That's why some health experts are calling for nasal nalmefene to be available over the counter.
President Joe Biden's new rule requires health plans to evaluate their coverage for compliance, set out-of-network payments, and it closes a coverage loophole in the original act for state and local governments.
The Georgia Recovers campaign tells the stories of people in recovery from opioid addiction. It includes a statewide billboard and social media campaign.
The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy named a veterinary tranquilizer an “emerging threat” for humans when mixed with the opioid fentanyl, but pharmacists say they've been warning for years about irreversible overdose and extreme morbidity risks associated with xylazine.
Jeff Breedlove with the Georgia Council for Recovery called the bill “delayed, not dead” and says the group will continue to work toward its passage next session.
The city of Atlanta and six metro area counties filed a federal lawsuit this week in the U.S. District Court of North Georgia seeking compensatory and punitive damages against drug companies and pharmacies related to their role in the opioid crisis.
Representatives from 40 organizations that make up the Substance Use Disorder Policy Partnership met with lawmakers at the Capitol to advocate for more resources for substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery.
