HealthDay (9/19, Mozes) says that two new government reports warn that opioid addiction is growing among America’s seniors. The reports by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality “reveal that millions of older Americans are now filling prescriptions for many different opioid medications at the same time, while hundreds of thousands are winding up in the hospital with opioid-related complications.” Dr. Arlene Bierman, director of AHRQ’s Center for Evidence and Practice, said the reports “underscore the growing and under-recognized concerns with opioid use disorder in older populations,” including those who suffer from chronic pain. Dr. Anita Everett, chief medical officer for the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, said that when common chronic pain is paired with “the generation of physicians that were taught that opioid medication, when used for pain, was not likely to become addictive,” the result is a senior citizen opioid problem.

Related Links:

— “Reports Warn of Growing Opioid Crisis Among Seniors, “Alan Mozes, HealthDay, September 19, 2018.

MedPage Today (9/19, Firth) reports, “One in three children in foster care who were treated with psychotropic medications did not receive proper state-required oversight for treatment planning or medication monitoring…a federal Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report” concluded. In particular, “34% of children in a five-state study did not receive either treatment planning or medication monitoring, and 8% received neither, the report noted.” What’s more, “the OIG called on the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, to ‘develop a comprehensive strategy to improve States’ compliance with requirements related to treatment planning and medication monitoring for psychotropic medications.’”

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

The Hill (9/19, Hellmann) reports that on Wednesday, HHS announced “it has awarded more than $1 billion in grants to states, communities and organizations fighting the opioid crisis.” Most of that money – “$930 million – is intended to support states’ efforts to provide treatment and prevention services to combat opioid abuse.” The Hill says an additional “$352 million was awarded to 1,232 community health centers to increase access to services for substance use disorder and mental health needs.”

Related Links:

— “Trump admin awards over $1 billion in grants to fight opioid epidemic, “Jessie Hellmann, The Hill, September 19, 2018.

Psychiatric News (9/17) reports that last week, American Psychiatric Association President Altha Stewart, MD, spoke “at a session on mental health at the 48th legislative conference of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF), an organization aimed at advancing the global black community by developing leaders, informing policy, and educating the public.” Currently, “there are only about 2,000 black psychiatrists nationwide, Stewart pointed out.” She stated, “There are not enough black psychiatrists in America to serve all the black people who need mental health care.” Dr. Stewart also “called for all psychiatrists to become more culturally competent, and for all to encourage young blacks with an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) to enter the mental health field.” She emphasized, “Medicine needs their voice. We need their presence.”

Related Links:

— “Mental Health Needs of Blacks Are Not Being Met, Says APA President , Psychiatric News, September 17, 2018.

Several outlets reported on the Senate’s passage of legislation to address the opioid epidemic. Colby Itkowitz writes in the Washington Post (9/17) that the Senate “overwhelmingly” passed a package of bills aimed at the nation’s opioid epidemic Monday by a 99 to 1 vote. The package includes 70 bills covering $8.4 billion in funding for programs across multiple agencies. The legislation requires the US Postal Service to screen packages from overseas, typically China, for synthetic opioids and provides greater access to treatment.

The Wall Street Journal (9/17, Andrews, Subscription Publication) reports Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) was the only senator to vote against the legislation. The package provides funding to the National Institutes of Health to research a nonaddictive painkiller. Another provision clarifies that the FDA has the authority to require prescriptions for opioids to be packaged in set amounts, such as three or seven days.

The AP (9/17, Fram) reports the package creates “new federal grants for treatment centers, training emergency workers and research on prevention methods.” The House passed its own package earlier this summer.

Related Links:

— “Senate passes sweeping opioids package, “Colby Itkowitz, The Washington Post, September 17, 2018.