Besides the CDC grant announced last week, the Reno County Health Department is also in the running for a $750,000 two-year multi-county grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The grant would be used jointly by Reno, Harvey and Barton … Read More

The Reno County Health Department and Community Drug Impact Task Force have been awarded a $150,000 federal grant to respond to opioid abuse in Reno County. The “Overdose Data to Action” grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention … Read More

Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter has issued a warning after counterfeit oxycontin laced with fentanyl, and in one case, fentanyl and meth, were seized in Sedgwick County. A recent drug bust of a single dealer recovered over 1,000 counterfeit pills.  … Read More

There’s new evidence that mind-body interventions can help reduce pain in people who have been taking prescription opioids — and lead to reductions in the drug’s dose. In a study published this month in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers reviewed evidence from 60 studies … Read More

The opioid crisis cost the U.S. economy $631 billion from 2015 through last year — and it may keep getting more expensive, according to a study released Tuesday by the Society of Actuaries. The biggest driver of the cost over … Read More

In less than a week, a landmark battle over who bears responsibility for the U.S. opioid crisis will begin in federal court. The case involves thousands of plaintiffs at virtually every level of government and defendants from every link in … Read More

Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sunday night, just days after striking a settlement with more than 2,000 local governments over its alleged role in creating and sustaining the deadly opioid crisis. The filing in New … Read More

By now, you may know a family shattered by the opioid epidemic. In 2017, there were 47,000 opioid deaths. That’s more Americans than were killed in vehicle accidents or by firearms. One drug, fentanyl, is like rocket fuel in the … Read More

The next generation of doctors will start their careers at a time when physicians are feeling pressure to limit prescriptions for opioid painkillers. Yet every day, they’ll face patients who are hurting from injuries, surgical procedures or disease. Around 20% of adults … Read More

About 18 months after the Reno County Commission voted to join a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors, the city of Hutchinson will consider the possibility of participating in litigation against opioid-related businesses. https://www.hutchnews.com/