PHLW will be looking at various provisions of the bill and how they intersect with public health. First, we look at the creation of “medical parole” in the Commonwealth.
Read morePolicy Pathways to Address Provider Workforce Barriers to Buprenorphine Treatment [from American Journal of Preventive Medicine]
George Consortium member Rebecca L. Haffajee has a new article in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine focusing on some of the reasons why only 40% of people with opioid use disorder actually receive medication-assisted treatment. One major reason is that so few physicians are licensed to even prescribe buprenorphine (such as Suboxone). Numerous workplace barriers contribute to this lack of licensing, including insufficient training, lack of peer support, inadequate reimbursement, and regulatory hurdles.
Read moreIt's Time for Uncomfortable Solutions to the Opioid Epidemic [from The Fix]
We are thrilled to present some work from brand new George Consortium member Abraham Gutman! This piece from The Fix discusses the fact that we need to get creative, and uncomfortable, in addressing the opioid crisis. Be sure to follow Av's great Twitter feed at @abgutman.
Read moreNew Dangers For Immigrants and the Health Care System [from Health Affairs Blog]
PHLW's Wendy E. Parmet and Elisabeth J. Ryan co-authored an article posted on the Health Affairs Blog about the potential changes to the definition of "public charge" and how that will negatively impact health care and the health care system.
Read moreQ&A: Holding Drugmakers Accountable for Opioid Crisis
Recently, George Consortium member and University of Michigan professor Rebecca Haffajee gave an interview to the Associated Press, addressing issues around opioid companies and litigation:
Read morePublic Health Law Watch Comments on HHS Regulation Proposal: Protecting Statutory Conscience Rights
Public Health Law Watch, joined by our friends at the Public Health Law Center, submitted official comments to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services proposed amendments to 45 CFR 88, "Protecting Statutory Conscience Rights; Delegations of Authority." Based on our combined expertise in public health law and policy, we offered comments on five main issues: (1) the lack of evidence that these rule revisions are necessary; (2) the absence of consideration for patients who face refusal of care; (3) the potentially dangerous expansion of existing definitions around “conscience protections;” (4) the potential harm these rules will cause for the LGBTQ population; and (5) the detriment these proposals would cause to reproductive health and rights.
Read moreLegal Skills Through a Health Justice Lens: First-Year Northeastern Law Students Work Toward Health, Equity, and Justice for Two Oppressed Groups
We have a really special post today - George Consortium member Jason Potter describes his innovative work as a professor and also the work of his students here at Northeastern University School of Law. These first year law students studied legal skills through a lens of health justice, and turned health justice theory into practice by partnering with non-profit organizations and creating tangible guidance on issues of safe consumption facilities and barriers to health care for transgender individuals.
Read moreThe PORTAL Literature Scan for March
Every month, our friends at the Program on Regulation, Therapeutics, and Law (PORTAL) - part of a collaboration between Harvard Medical School and Brigham & Women’s Hospital - publish a great list of the best and most interesting studies, policy analyses, and editorials about regulation, therapeutics, and law.
Read moreMedicaid Work Requirements Would Put Very Few People to Work [from philly.com]
The Trump administration recently agreed to let states get tough on Medicaid recipients who don’t work. Kentucky was the first to win approval of a plan to kick those who can work but don’t off the roles, and at least ten other states would like to do the same. Under these plans, in order to maintain coverage, able-bodied adults would have to prove that they are either employed in some form or are actively trying to be.
Read moreThe Promising Potential of Gun Violence Protection Orders
While mass shootings account for just a small fraction of the more than 36,000 lives lost to firearms in the United States every year, these devastating, large-scale events have become not only more frequent but also deadlier in recent years.
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