KHN correspondent Shefali Luthra reported this article from Germany as a 2019 Arthur F. Burns Fellow. HAMBURG, Germany ― In 2016, 10 times as many Americans as Germans died as a result of drug overdoses, mostly opiates. Three times as many Americans as Germans experienced opioid addiction. Even as the …
Read More »‘Crackhouse’ Or ‘Safehouse’? U.S. Officials Try To Block Philly’s Supervised Injection Site
This story is part of a partnership that includes WHYY, NPR and Kaiser Health News. This story can be republished for free (details). Philadelphia could become the first U.S. city to offer opioid users a place to inject drugs under medical supervision. But lawyers for the Trump administration are trying …
Read More »KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Biden Doubles Down On Obamacare
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on SoundCloud. Former Vice President Joe Biden has said if he’s elected president he would build on the Affordable Care Act rather than move to a whole new health care system, such as the “Medicare for All” plan supported by some of …
Read More »Florida Is The Latest Republican-Led State To Adopt Clean Needle Exchanges
A green van was parked on the edge of downtown Miami, on a corner shadowed by overpasses. The vehicle serves as a mobile health clinic and syringe exchange, where people who inject drugs like heroin and fentanyl could swap dirty needles for fresh ones. One of the clinic’s regular visitors, …
Read More »Polydrug Addiction On Rise As Opioid Crisis Mixes With Resurgence In Meth UseKaiser Health News
In the 25 years since she snorted her first line of meth at a club in San Francisco, Kim has redefined “normal” so many times. At first, she said, it seemed like meth brought her back to her true self — the person she was before her parents divorced, and …
Read More »Federal Grants ‘A Lifesaver’ In Opioid Fight, But States Still Struggle To Curb Meth
In his 40 years of working with people struggling with addiction, David Crowe has seen various drugs fade in and out of popularity in Pennsylvania’s Crawford County. Methamphetamine use and distribution is a major challenge for the rural area, said Crowe, the executive director of Crawford County Drug and Alcohol …
Read More »Readers And Tweeters: No Rush To Judge Patients Who Leave The ER Without OK
Letters to the Editor is a periodic feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection. We edit for length and clarity and require full names. At The ER, It’s Hurry Up And Wait At least the patients mentioned in “As ER Wait Times Grow, More Patients Leave Against Medical Advice” …
Read More »Drug Users Armed With Naloxone Double As Medics On Streets Of San Francisco
The man was out of his wheelchair and lay flat on his back just off San Francisco’s Market Street, waiting for the hypodermic needle to pierce his skin and that familiar euphoric feeling to wash over him. The old-timer, who appeared to be in his 60s, could not find a …
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