The Opioid Crisis: How Counselors Can and Should Respond

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-124
Author(s):  
Kevin S. Doyle
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
Scope Of Practice ◽  
Professional Activity ◽  
Specialty Area ◽  
Ethical Imperative ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
Overdose Deaths ◽  
Do So

Drug overdose deaths in the United States have reached unprecedented levels in recent years and continue to rise. Counselors are uniquely positioned to respond to this crisis but may be reluctant or not equipped to do so due to a variety of factors, including scope of practice concerns. Responding to this crisis, however, is a clinical necessity and an ethical imperative for all practicing counselors, regardless of specialty area. A review of proposed responses at the macro/systemic, professional, and personal levels is presented, with concrete examples within each level, to assist counselors in identifying and implementing professional activity, advocacy, and engagement to address the unprecedented national public health emergency. Specific considerations for advocacy and for clinical practice are proposed to further assist counselors and motivate action.

scholarly journals International Perspectives on COVID-19 Communication Ecologies: Public Health Agencies’ Online Communication in Italy, Sweden, and the United States

2021 ◽  
pp. 000276422199283
Author(s):  
Serena Tagliacozzo ◽  
Frederike Albrecht ◽  
N. Emel Ganapati
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
The United States ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Communication Ecology ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
National Public Health

Communicating during a crisis can be challenging for public agencies as their communication ecology becomes increasingly complex while the need for fast and reliable public communication remains high. Using the lens of communication ecology, this study examines the online communication of national public health agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, Sweden, and the United States. Based on content analysis of Twitter data ( n = 856) and agency press releases ( n = 95), this article investigates two main questions: (1) How, and to what extent, did national public health agencies coordinate their online communication with other agencies and organizations? (2) How was online communication from the agencies diversified in terms of targeting specific organizations and social groups? Our findings indicate that public health agencies relied heavily on internal scientific expertise and predominately coordinated their communication efforts with national government agencies. Furthermore, our analysis reveals that agencies in each country differed in how they diversify information; however, all agencies provided tailored information to at least some organizations and social groups. Across the three countries, information tailored for several vulnerable groups (e.g., pregnant women, people with disabilities, immigrants, and homeless populations) was largely absent, which may contribute to negative consequences for these groups.

Commissioned Corps Deployments & Family Resiliency

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice Arceneaux ◽  
James Dickens ◽  
Wanza Bacon
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
United States Public Health ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
The United States ◽  
Humanitarian Assistance ◽  
Family Resiliency ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
The U.S

Established in 1889, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (Corps) is one of the seven uniformed services and is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Corps is committed to protecting, promoting and advancing the health and safety of the nation with a history that dates back over two centuries, beginning as the U.S. Marine Hospital Service. Today, the Corps responds and serves in many areas impacted by natural disasters, disease outbreaks, terrorist attacks and public health emergencies. Corps officers have deployed to provide assistance during national public health emergencies (e.g., hurricanes, bombings, flooding and wild fires); to combat the Ebola epidemic in West Africa; and to provide humanitarian assistance in Latin America and the Caribbean. Corps deployments impact not only service members but also their families. This article offers a brief overview of the Corps and discusses how deployments impact families. Family resiliency and future implications for research and practice will also be examined.

Moving From the National Negro Health Week to the National Public Health Week in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (4) ◽  
pp. 470-477
Author(s):  
Paul Braff
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
The United States ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
History Of ◽  
Health Concepts ◽  
African American Leaders ◽  
Main Message

There has been relatively little published on National Negro Health Week, and what has been published has often focused on physicians, nurses, or women. This article offers a brief but comprehensive overview of the organization and health emphases of nonmedical African American leaders on issues of health and explains how health concepts made their way to ordinary African Americans. In addition, in this article, I argue that the current National Public Health Week campaign might be best seen as a metamorphosis of National Negro Health Week because they share many similarities in practice and direction. The article’s main message is that the United States has a long history of a “National Health Week”; that these Weeks support the interests of subjugated groups by race, ethnicity, or class; and that these Weeks have worked to empower these groups by providing them with basic health knowledge to improve their health without needing to consult a physician.

Community Perceptions of Harm Reduction and Its Implications for Syringe Exchange Policy

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 507-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Sharp ◽  
Joshua T. Barnett ◽  
Enya B. Vroom
Keyword(s):  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Community Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Syringe Exchange ◽  
Policy Integration ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Exchange Program ◽  
Reduction Strategies ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
Overdose Deaths

In the United States, the rising prevalence of opioid addiction has led to an increase in opioid-related overdose deaths and transmission of infectious disease. This resulted in the declaration of a national public health emergency and the need for harm reduction strategies such as syringe exchange. Florida has seen increases in blood-borne diseases and fatal/nonfatal opioid overdoses, yet harm reduction policy integration has been historically limited. To inform policy change, this study explores the perspectives of community members in Manatee County, Florida, on harm reduction services. Six focus groups were conducted with findings centralized around three emergent themes related to the implementation of a syringe exchange program: (a) awareness and acceptability; (b) facilitating factors; and (c) perceived barriers. The results of this qualitative research helped to inform the successful adoption of a local syringe exchange ordinance. Recommendations for community education and engagement regarding harm reduction policy are discussed.

scholarly journals The rising crisis of illicit fentanyl use, overdose, and potential therapeutic strategies

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Han ◽  
Wei Yan ◽  
Yongbo Zheng ◽  
Muhammad Zahid Khan ◽  
Kai Yuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Severe Pain ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
The United States ◽  
Therapeutic Strategies ◽  
Public Health Threat ◽  
Reduction Strategies ◽  
Overdose Deaths

Abstract Fentanyl is a powerful opioid anesthetic and analgesic, the use of which has caused an increasing public health threat in the United States and elsewhere. Fentanyl was initially approved and used for the treatment of moderate to severe pain, especially cancer pain. However, recent years have seen a growing concern that fentanyl and its analogs are widely synthesized in laboratories and adulterated with illicit supplies of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and counterfeit pills, contributing to the exponential growth in the number of drug-related overdose deaths. This review summarizes the recent epidemic and evolution of illicit fentanyl use, its pharmacological mechanisms and side effects, and the potential clinical management and prevention of fentanyl-related overdoses. Because social, economic, and health problems that are related to the use of fentanyl and its analogs are growing, there is an urgent need to implement large-scale safe and effective harm reduction strategies to prevent fentanyl-related overdoses.

Critical Challenges and Impediments Affecting Rural Physicians During a Public Health Emergency

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 342-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin J. Putzer ◽  
Mirka Koro-Ljungberg ◽  
R. Paul Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Rural Physicians

ABSTRACTObjective: Disaster preparedness has become a health policy priority for the United States in the aftermath of the anthrax attacks, 9/11, and other calamities. It is important for rural health care professionals to be prepared for a bioterrorist attack or other public health emergency. We sought to determine the barriers impeding rural physicians from being prepared for a human-induced disaster such as a bioterrorist attack.Methods: This study employed a qualitative methodology using key informant interviews followed by grounded theory methods for data analysis. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 6 physicians in the state of Florida from federally designated rural areas.Results: The interview participants articulated primary barriers and the associated factors contributing to these barriers that may affect rural physician preparedness for human-induced emergencies. Rural physicians identified 3 primary barriers: accessibility to health care, communication between physicians and patients, and rural infrastructure and resources. Each of these barriers included associated factors and influences. For instance, according to our participants, access to care was affected by a lack of health insurance, a lack of finances for health services, and transportation difficulties.Conclusions: Existing rural organizational infrastructure and resources are insufficient to meet current health needs owing to a number of factors including the paucity of health care providers, particularly medical specialists, and the associated patient-level barriers. These barriers presumably would be exacerbated in the advent of a human-induced public health emergency. Thus, strategically implemented health policies are needed to mitigate the barriers identified in this study.(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2012;6:342–348)

A Cost-Benefit Analysis of a Potential Supervised Injection Facility in San Francisco, California, USA

2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amos Irwin ◽  
Ehsan Jozaghi ◽  
Ricky N. Bluthenthal ◽  
Alex H. Kral
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
The United States ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Supervised Injection ◽  
Overdose Deaths

Supervised injection facilities (SIFs) have been shown to reduce infection, prevent overdose deaths, and increase treatment uptake. The United States is in the midst of an opioid epidemic, yet no sanctioned SIF currently operates in the United States. We estimate the economic costs and benefits of establishing a potential SIF in San Francisco using mathematical models that combine local public health data with previous research on the effects of existing SIFs. We consider potential savings from five outcomes: averted HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, reduced skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI), averted overdose deaths, and increased medication-assisted treatment (MAT) uptake. We find that each dollar spent on a SIF would generate US$2.33 in savings, for total annual net savings of US$3.5 million for a single 13-booth SIF. Our analysis suggests that a SIF in San Francisco would not only be a cost-effective intervention but also a significant boost to the public health system.

scholarly journals Coronavirus and Pharmacists

2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-6
Author(s):  
Ken Thai
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Wuhan City ◽  
The World ◽  
High Season ◽  
Health Organization

Pharmacists and our fellow healthcare colleagues typically expect a break from our “high season” of cough, cold, and flu patients that have filled our pharmacies, clinics, and hospitals by this time of the year. Everyone is prepping for the end of the winter and the dawning of spring. This year was unlike many as we have heard loud cries across the globe regarding the outbreak of the novel “new” coronavirus. The virus was first detected from the Wuhan City of China. It has since infected tens of thousands of people in China and across the world. In fact, the World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern.” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared a public health emergency for the United States to aid the nation's healthcare community in responding. A proclamation was signed on January 31, 2020, by the United States to suspend entry of anyone who poses a risk of transmitting the coronavirus.

Building a Public-Private Partnership to Enhance Laboratory Preparedness and Response in the United States

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reynolds M. Salerno ◽  
Jasmine Chaitram ◽  
Joanne D. Andreadis
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Clinical Laboratory ◽  
Diagnostic Testing ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
High Volume ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
The Public ◽  
Communication And Coordination

ABSTRACT The public health community has recognized that it cannot handle responses to all possible public health emergencies on its own. The public health sector has deep scientific expertise and excels at initial identification, complex characterization, and test development. The private sector has many resources and capabilities that can complement and augment the public health response. This is especially true in the clinical laboratory sector. Many commercial laboratories are designed for high-volume, high-throughput diagnostic testing in a way that public health laboratories are not. Significant steps have been taken since 2017 to improve the communication and coordination between public health and the private clinical laboratory community, especially during a response to a public health emergency. This paper describes the strong foundation that has been built for an improved clinical and public health laboratory response to the next public health emergency.

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