Recent editorials from Louisiana newspapers:
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Oct. 1
Johnson City Press on a lawsuit filed by regional hospitals against opioid distributors and pharmaceutical companies:
Tennessee and Virginia hospitals recently lobbed another grenade at the addiction and overdose industry.
Notice we didn’t say “pharmaceutical,” “prescription drug” or “opioid” industry. Those benign descriptors are no longer adequate.
When properly prescribed and monitored, opioids can be of major benefit for patients suffering from serious injuries or the effects of life-threatening illnesses.
But the cost of abuse and addiction on the rest of humanity outweighs that benefit tenfold. Drug overdoses have become the leading cause of accidental death in Tennessee. From 2012-17, the state saw record numbers of deaths from opioid use each year, with 1,186 in 2016 and 1,268 in 2017.
In a civil action filed last week in Greene County Circuit Court, Ballad Health facilities were among more than 30 hospitals suing Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories and more than 40 other companies and individuals who manufacture, distribute and sell prescription opioids. The hospitals allege that for decades, the defendants have been making false assurances about addiction risks and using deceptive marketing tactics to persuade health care providers to over-prescribe.
Hospitals are just the latest entrants into the court battles over opioids, as district attorneys across the country, including those locally, have also sued. Meanwhile, state and federal lawmakers have passed or proposed legislation aimed at curbing the national crisis.
What’s the hospitals’ stake in all this? Financial. As our partners at the Kingsport Times News reported, analysts estimate healthcare systems incurred more than $215.7 billion in costs related to the opioid crisis from 2001 to 2017, largely attributable to overdose-related emergency department visits.
The hospitals are right to join the fight. Every dollar they spend coping with this unnecessary, man-made epidemic contributes to the spiraling costs of U.S. health care. You are paying for this disaster left and right.
Until the purveyors of addiction and overdose feel the impact of this war deep in their own pocketbooks, this health catastrophe will continue. Attacking them from all sides is both necessary and urgent.
That includes the education, prevention and addiction treatment efforts we’ve seen from Ballad’s partnership with East Tennessee State University, as well as new laws to make such efforts easier.
There are signs the assault is working _ minimally. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that overdose deaths dropped nationally from 70,237 in 2017 to 68,557 in 2018. That’s still 68,557 too many.
That says to us that access to opioids remains largely unfettered. Heavy government regulation is not the answer to every problem in America, but in this case, it’s a must.
Pro-business lawmakers have a hard time cutting the purse strings with big donors, and that includes Big Pharma. That’s why we have yet to see a comprehensive federal crackdown on opioid manufacturers and prescribers.
Piecemeal legislation won’t do the trick. Congress must take definitive action to strictly control the flow of opioids from the source, through our borders and at the doctor’s office.
Such regulation should not tie the hands of medical providers where legitimate need exists, but manufacturers and many _ not all _ prescribers have yet to demonstrate the necessary restraint to head off stringent oversight.
Online: https://www.johnsoncitypress.com
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Sept. 30
Kingsport TimesNews on how a Tennessee city is tacking increasing rates of homelessness:
With persistent complaints and the number growing, Kingsport is taking a new look at the homeless problem. City Manager Chris McCartt has the right approach in suggesting a first step is taking an inventory of current outreach programs and trying to bring some coordinated direction to them.
There are multiple Kingsport agencies assisting the homeless to the point some local leaders have said it attracts more of them to the city. McCartt envisions a survey of existing services and then bringing those agencies together to facilitate a path forward. It is important that all organizations that give any service to the homeless participate.
Earlier this year, a count was taken over a 24-hour period that found a homeless population of about 135, no doubt an undercount since it was taken in January. Kingsport Police Chief David Quillin told the Board of Mayor and Aldermen that the homeless are a mixed bag that include drug users, folks down on their luck, and persons who prefer to live on the streets as a lifestyle.
Most are found in the downtown area, where residents have reportedly seen them openly use drugs. A resident of Town Park Lofts has reported seeing upwards of 30 homeless, some with shopping carts, in the streets after midnight. She believes the city is making it too comfortable for the homeless. We’ve been told that the homeless share information throughout the region and across the country and, as would be expected, go where they get the most help.
Throughout the nation, communities focus on feeding and sheltering the homeless. An approach that shallow and narrow only perpetuates the problem. Putting people into temporary housing without addressing the root causes of homelessness increases the chances they will become chronically homeless. Give the homeless a place to live and you’ll only have more homeless people looking for free housing.
Programs that work recognize that while the first task is to put the homeless under roof and feed them, it can’t be left at that. Each homeless individual needs to be assessed as to medical needs, and then for marketable skills or lacking any, interest areas that can be a focus for education. The goal should be to get a homeless person off the street and into productive employment to begin a new life.
“We cannot police our way out of this issue. No city can do that,” Quillin said. “There has to be a coordinated, comprehensive and collaborative effort where resources are made available for folks who need and want help.”
Problem is, “We’ve not had a holistic strategy to end homelessness,” said Becca Sutphen, community impact director for the United Way of Greater Kingsport. “We need to come together to find out what the next steps are.”
McCartt sees the city’s Office of Community Development working with the United Way to survey existing services for the homeless, bringing groups that serve the homeless together, and then facilitating a path forward. In addition to forming a coalition, other immediate actions on deck for Kingsport will be the hiring of a social worker to work with the Kingsport Police Department and reviewing the city’s existing code of ordinances to give the city more options.
We can’t think of a better starting point, and every interested party should be welcome to participate in developing a permanent strategy with the objective of helping the homeless help themselves.
Online: https://www.timesnews.net
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Sept. 30
The Crossville Chronicle on continuing discussions about suicide prevention even after Suicide Awareness Month’s end:
1-800-273-TALK (8255) _ or text “TN” to 741741.
Either one will put you in touch with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. We urge you to use the one you’re most comfortable with any time, anywhere, if you are in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.
Pass them on. Write them down. Save them in your phone. Clip them from this page, bookmark them in your browser, or take a screenshot.
Important information like these numbers tend to get lost in a morass of well-intentioned words from well-intentioned writers. They’re hard for someone in a crisis situation to find when they know they’ve seen them somewhere, but their eyes gloss over them because they have to take the time to read to find them. Yet they’re the most crucial resource we can give.
Again, that’s 1-800-273-TALK (8255) _ or text “TN” to 741741.
September was Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. It’s a time to discuss a topic many of us have been taught is taboo.
Had we had this discussion two years ago, Cumberland County might have 872 more residents. That’s the number who lost their lives by their own hand in 2017, according to statistics from the Tennessee Department of Health.
It’s essential for us to talk about suicide. It’s the one cause of death that’s 100% preventable, but only if we bring it into the light.
We must learn to recognize feelings of desperation or loneliness. We must ask questions. We must look for drastic changes in behavior, withdrawal from social activities or friends, and/or increased use of stimulants.
Take seriously preoccupations with death and dying, hopelessness and talk about suicide or having no reason to live. They’re all cries for help that may not even be realized.
Once you recognize the need, be there for the person. Offer them help. Don’t judge. Be direct. Don’t ask why or lecture the value of life. Talk openly. It’s OK to ask if they’re thinking about suicide. And take action: Remove them or the means from the situation, and seek help.
Like calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255) _ or texting “TN” to 741741.
We’re very fortunate to live in a state that’s taking the devastating cause of death seriously. Tennessee has developed a suicide prevention and evaluation plan. The governor’s Suicide Prevention Network Advisory Council was formed to coordinate implementation of the Tennessee Strategy for Suicide Prevention. And the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network offers resources from a website _ tspn.org _ that includes a wealth of information for both those who are troubled and the grieving loved ones suicide leaves behind.
But the resources are only helpful if you use them. Please do. Check out all the information on the tspn.org site. And please, if you’re feeling helpless and in crisis, contact the Lifeline. Their counselors are ready to help, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s only a phone call or text. But it could save you life.
1-800-273-TALK (8255) _ or text “TN” to 741741.
Online: https://www.crossville-chronicle.com
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