Latest California Healthline Stories
Pregnant And Addicted: The Tough Road To A Healthy Family
Guilt still haunts a new mother who was addicted to opioids when she got pregnant. Once she was ready to ask for help, treatment programs that could handle her complicated pregnancy were hard to find.
A Nurse’s Lesson: Babies In Opioid Withdrawal Still Need Mom
One hospital in Connecticut gives babies and moms fighting addiction a quiet room where they can be together as the drugs leave their systems.
Tiny Opioid Patients Need Help Easing Into Life
More babies are being born dependent on opioids. The good news is they can safely be weaned from the drug. But there’s little research on which medical treatment is best, or its long-term effects.
Marin Group Uses Local Data To Fight Fatal Prescription Overdoses
New organizations are collecting fresh data to address current health problems.
Debate Arises Over HHS Plans For Privacy Rules On Addiction Treatment
The current guidelines, last updated in 1987, require patients to specify exactly who gets information about their care. But advocates of change say the new rule will fit in better in the era of sharing patient data through electronic medical records.
Needle Exchanges Can Now Get Federal Funding
Proponents hail the change in policy but say it doesn’t go far enough because federal dollars cannot be used to buy syringes.
Debate over mandatory use of California’s Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System continues to simmer, as other states adopt mandatory compliance and the California Medical Association continues to oppose it.
New Deterrent Opioids on State’s Radar
A bill in the Assembly aims to expand the use of a new kind of opioid designed to prevent patients from crushing or altering the medication, deterring one form of drug abuse.