News

Please note the news articles listed here are not associated or affiliated with the C3-OD2A Project and are designated as additional resources for viewers.

 

Hawaii News Articles

Solutions to Hawaii’s Opioid Nightmares

Author: LiAnne Yu

Date: June 11, 2018

Summary: The author discusses several different preventive and intervention strategies that Hawaii has done to reduce opioid overdose rates. One of the main ones is the Hawaii Opioid Initiative Action Plan which is designed to modernize access to treatment, improve prescriber practices, better data collection, improve community-based programs, increase pharmacy-based interventions, and coordinate and support law enforcement and first responders. Another strategy is to have responders use personal protective equipment when handling substances. Along with that, it’s important to destigmatize substance use disorders by accepting individuals who face these challenges, use appropriate language, and recognize it as a brain disease. Furthermore, providing the community with resources such as naloxone to treat narcotic overdoses and substance treatment facilities to provide ongoing support. Lastly, there are systemic changes being done to identify drug traffic movements and sentence appropriate drug charges that are designed to encourage recovery as opposed to instilling punishment.

Link to Article: https://www.hawaiibusiness.com/solutions-to-opioid-nightmares/

Why Hawaii Has Many Opioid Users But Few Overdose Deaths

Author: Denby Fawcett

Date: April 16, 2019

Summary: Denby Fawcett covered a comprehensive dimension of Opioid in the context of Hawaii. The article perfectly reflected the recent data fact, case studies, causes, consequences, and possible remedies. Available resources also highlighted in this article. Policy and legal issues significantly touched by the article.

Link to Article: https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/04/denby-fawcett-why-hawaii-has-many-opioid-users-but-few-overdose-deaths/

Meth Deaths Soar in Hawaii Even As Opioids Grab Public Attention

Author: Eleni Gill

Date: November 12, 2019

Summary: This column article covered the number of Hawaii deaths associated with methamphetamine use has risen sharply within the past five years. In 2018, 147 people died from a fatal poisoning that was documented to involve psychostimulants, a classification of methamphetamines. The most common substance used in Hawaii upon admission to treatment centers is methamphetamine and amphetamines, according to 2017 national data. Hawaii’s psychostimulant and methamphetamine-related annual fatality per capita rate is nearly three times the national meth fatality rate per capita. In 2017, there were nearly 7 deaths per 100,000 Hawaii residents. The national adjusted meth-related death rate was 2.4 in 2016. Finally, the article also talked about treatment opportunities in Hawaii.

Link: https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/11/meth-deaths-soar-in-hawaii-even-as-opioids-grab-public-attention/

United States News Article

Real-time data are essential for Covid-19. They’re just as important for the opioid overdose crisis

Author: David A. Patterson

Date: May 20, 2020

Summary: David A. Patterson, an associate professor in the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, discusses the need of having real-time data for the opioid overdose crisis. He mentions that real-time data is helpful to assess what the crisis looks like regarding Covid-19. In turn, creating a real-time data system that informs everyone about opioid overdose deaths could provide us with a relevant understanding of the opioid overdose crisis. By creating a real-time data system, everyone wouldn’t have to wait a couple of years for an opioid data report. Furthermore, the real-time data system will provide a relevant perspective of the impacts of prevention and intervention strategies on the opioid crisis.

Link to Article: https://www.statnews.com/2020/05/20/real-time-data-essential-for-opioid-overdose-crisis-as-for-covid-19/

Epidemics at Odds: Preventing the Next Wave of the Opioid Crisis During COVID-19

Author: Dave Wedge

Date: March 23, 2020

Summary: The author of this article, Dave Wedge, urges everyone to be mindful of the opioid crisis during the Covid-19 pandemic. He mentions that the opioid crisis is still a prevalent issue and Covid-19 has put those with a substance use disorder at risk. The fatality of Covid-19 has heightened anxiety which could affect an individual’s progress towards recovery. Also, quarantine lockdowns have restricted access to health care as well. This makes access to health care support even more difficult to obtain for those who face social inequities like homelessness. In order to address these issues, there have been efforts to continue with providing services through telehealth.

Link: https://www.bmc.org/healthcity/population-health/preventing-next-wave-opioid-crisis-during-covid-19