The millions of dollars from the opioid settlement must be used to immediately save lives, advocates say. Halting fentanyl epidemic should be top priority. courant.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from courant.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
What is addiction and how do we help individuals struggling with substance use? Learn about the science and history of addiction medicine, innovations in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of substance use disorder, and what Yale is doing to bring the science of addiction to primary care, emergency departments, hospitals and more. Join Addiction physicians and experts - Drs.
May 08, 2021
by Julie Parry
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic over a year ago, alcohol and substance use has surged in the United States, along with overdoses from opioids. To save lives, using practical strategies to reduce the negative effects of substance use, or harm reduction strategies should become federal health policy now, urges experts Kimberly Sue, MD, PhD, and David Fiellin, MD, from the Yale Program in Addiction Medicine.
The New England Journal of Medicine, they urge the Biden administration to name, embrace, and implement harm reduction programs to save American lives. In addition to expanding treatment, they argue, there is a need for additional measures to abate the tidal wave of death from overdoses. Additionally, they say funds should be allocated to combat the health inequities and racial injustice for Black Americans who are suffering from a disproportionate rise in deaths from substance use disorders, along with COVID-19.