California Targets Hard-Hit Tribal Communities With Opioid Addiction Treatment Program
In 2017, California received $90 million in federal funding to reduce opiate addiction and overdose deaths, and the state will use some of that money to increase buprenorphine prescribing practices in tribal communities, while also expanding overdose prevention with naloxone.
Capital Public Radio:
Tribal Lands To Get Funding Boost To Curb Opioid Crisis
Across the country, American Indian and Native Alaskan people die from unintentional drug poisoning at almost twice the rate of the overall population. In California, a new state program is hoping to solve that problem with a focus on addiction therapy. (Caiola, 3/9)
In other news from across the state —
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Influential Parent Group At Sonoma Developmental Center Looks To Uncertain Future
It was a bittersweet goodbye Saturday when several dozen parents, siblings and other conservators of people still living at Sonoma Developmental Center gathered tearfully for the last time on the Eldridge campus. The Parent Hospital Association, which has fought, often fiercely, for the rights and care of residents since the 1970s — frequently raising their voices in Sacramento — mourned their lost battle to keep at least a part of the center open for clients with severe medical and behavior issues they fear the community isn’t equipped to handle. (McConahey, 3/10)
Oakland Tribune:
Oakland Unified Amid Water Tap Overhaul To Get The Lead Out
In the year-and-a-half after concerns over McClymonds High School’s water quality surfaced, Oakland Unified has undergone a districtwide overhaul of its drinkable water taps. In the past seven months, the district has tested taps at most of its aging schools, childhood development centers and Oakland charter schools to find that 22 Oakland schools in addition to McClymonds had at least one tap with lead levels above federal and state standards, according to the district’s website. Those taps were taken out of service and many have either been replaced or fixed. (Tadayon, 3/9)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Hundreds Walk To Raise Money And Awareness In Largest Annual Gathering Of San Diego Brain Injury Survivors
The 11th annual Walk for Recovery at Mission Bay Park helped raise more than $40,000 for the San Diego Brain Injury Foundation. Founded in 1983, the nonprofit serves as a resource for survivors of brain trauma, their caregivers and their families, offering hope and support while supplying the best information about advances in medical treatment. The charity estimates that more than 11,000 people are affected by brain injury each year in San Diego County, a figure that includes victims and their families but excludes active-duty military members who also face head trauma in accidents and combat. (Prine, 3/10)