Public Health

Cardinal Health, McKesson Corp. and AmerisourceBergen distributed 1.6B opioids in Missouri between 2012 and 2017, which equates to about 260 pills per resident, according to an investigative report Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., released July 11.

More than 750 CVS storefronts nationwide will carry deposit containers for unused opioid prescriptions, according to The Baltimore Sun.

A recent claims review by Aetna revealed that each month, between 300 and 400 of its members are treated for opioid overdoses in emergency rooms.

U.S. mortality rates for Americans ages 25 to 34 has  increase every year since an initial spike in 2010 due to opioid overdose-related deaths, according to federal data cited by the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.   

At the height of the opioid epidemic, EMTs and paramedics have become the first point for help with opioid overdose victims unwilling or unable to seek treatment, according to Pensacola News Journal.

As Independence Day approaches, hospitals can expect a number of patients landing in emergency departments with fireworks-related injuries. The Consumer Product Safety Commission's 2017 Fireworks Annual Report found about 12,900 injuries treated in U.S. EDs during 2017 involved fireworks.

Physicians and nurse practitioners at Cleveland-based MetroHealth prescribed 3 million fewer opioid pills over the past 18 months.

Chicago-based Cook County Health and Hospitals System is implementing several changes at its facilities to boost patients' access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction, a spokesperson told Becker's Hospital Review via email.

Federal regulators are turning to some of the top tech giants to help stop the sale of illegal opioids online, CNBC reports.

An increasing number of patients worry about developing an opioid addiction after surgery, but many are left with minimal options to aid their pain. To combat this issue, some companies are developing new ways of pain management through medical exercise,…