Viewpoints: Drug Legalization, How To Solve Homelessness, And Drug-Pricing Optics
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
Fresno Bee:
To Limit Drug Use, Make Them Legal
Several countries are solving their opioid overdose problem by dispensing heroin in treating the addicted. These include Switzerland, Holland, Denmark, Germany, England, Spain and Canada. Better formulations of the drug are longer lasting and help to stabilize patients by freeing them from craving and withdrawal so they can hold a job and live healthier lives. (David Finch, 12/6)
Orange County Register:
Closure Of Needle Exchange Has Left A Void In Orange County Harm Reduction Efforts
Since the closure of the Orange County Needle Exchange Program (OCNEP) in January 2018, and a recent court ruling that bars OCNEP from operating for an unknown period of time, the entire weight of harm reduction in Orange County has fallen on a tiny non-profit, devoid of county or state funding, and operated by a handful of volunteers. With no centralized location for providing harm reduction services, focus is placed on trying to reach the most vulnerable community members struggling with substance use disorders, mental health conditions, and homelessness via backpack outreach. (Aimee Dunkle and Elizabeth Copulsky, 12/6)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A.'s Efforts To Solve Homelessness Are Paying Off, One Life At A Time
A few days before Thanksgiving, I hosted a pre-holiday feast at Getty House for a group of men and women who live at El Puente, the city’s first temporary bridge housing site, built on a corner of the El Pueblo historic district downtown. It was a privilege to meet these men and women and to hear them describe their sense of renewed promise. They were thankful because, for the first time in months or even years, they have a place to sleep at night, a place to call home. Nearly every community in Los Angeles has been touched by the profound moral and humanitarian crisis of homelessness. The individuals and families living in tents, cars and on our streets aren’t faceless strangers. They’re our neighbors, and they’re in need of housing, healthcare and, most of all, hope. (Eric Garcetti, 12/2)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Housing Needed To Reduce HIV Infections
Improving housing brings not only public health benefits, but also financial gains for society. The provision of housing reduces public spending on medical costs for homeless individuals, including the number and length of hospitalizations. In fact, San Francisco spends five times as much on medical costs for the sickest homeless people as for those in housing. (Diane Havlir and Joe Hollendoner, 11/29)
Sacramento Bee:
Skipping Background Checks For The People Hired To Care For Detained Migrant Kids? What Could Go Wrong?
The inspector general recommended that the government staff Tornillo as it would a permanent facility. It pointed out that a similar "flux" facility in Homestead, Fla., must adhere to the smaller ratio.Part of the problem is the government's decision to treat Tornillo, a pop-up tent village that opened in June, as a temporary way station for children. But that doesn't absolve the government of ensuring that it is not placing the minors at risk. Unfortunately, the government's failure to properly handle the migrants it insists on detaining is becoming a norm rather than an exception. And that is unacceptable. (Scott Martelle, 11/29)
Los Angeles Times:
In UC's Battle With The World's Largest Scientific Publisher, The Future Of Information Is At Stake
Boiled down to dollars and cents, the battle between the University of California, the nation’s premier producer of academic research, and Reed Elsevier, the world’s leading publisher of academic journals, can seem almost trivial. UC is paying almost $11 million this year for subscriptions to some 1,500 Elsevier journals. That’s not much when measured against the university’s core budget of $9.3 billion. But in fact it’s a very big deal — big enough for the university to consider dropping the subscriptions entirely when its current five-year contract with Elsevier expires on Dec. 31. Scores of town hall meetings for UC faculty to discuss the ongoing negotiations between UC and Elsevier have been scheduled across the system as the deadline approaches. What faculty are likely to hear, in the words of Jeff MacKie-Mason, the university librarian at UC Berkeley, is that “we’re pretty far apart at this point.” (Michael Hiltzik, 12/7)
Los Angeles Times:
The NFL Is The Fox In The Henhouse Of Football-Injury Research
Last month, the NFL announced that it is awarding more than $35 million in grants to fund research on brain injuries. The recipients of the league’s largesse include researchers at prestigious academic institutions such as Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, the University of Pittsburgh and UC San Francisco. Peter Chiarelli, who chaired the scientific advisory board to allocate the NFL’s funds, said the league did not influence the panel in any way: “We were totally independent.” We’ve seen this story line before. (Kathleen Bachynski, 12/3)