opioids

Addressing the opioid crisis

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, visited Vanderbilt University Medical Center last week to speak at the spring Health Policy Grand Rounds at Langford Auditorium. The event was dedicated to combatting America’s opioid crisis, and Adams emphasized the importance of the overdose-reversal drug naloxone.

Study tracks impact of NAS on state Medicaid programs 

In the United States, one infant is born every 15 minutes with withdrawal symptoms after being exposed to opioids before birth, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics.

Patrick J. Kennedy (left) and Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos (Anne Rayner/Vanderbilt)

Silence, denial keeps America steeped in opioid addiction, Kennedy says

Former U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy advocated for better treatment of mental health issues and spoke candidly about his struggles during a Chancellor’s Lecture Series discussion on Tuesday.

Discussing the opioid crises

Stephen Patrick, MD, MPH, MS, assistant professor of Pediatrics and Health Policy in the Division of Neonatology at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, testified before Congress recently about the rise and impact of drug withdrawal symptoms in newborns, also known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).

white pills spilling out of a prescription bottle

Opioid use increases risk of serious infections

Opioid users have a significantly increased risk of infections severe enough to require treatment at the hospital, such as pneumonia and meningitis, as compared to people who don’t use opioids.

Image of pain pills (iStock Photo)

Study seeks to reduce opioid use for chronic pain

Kristin Archer, PhD, DPT, associate professor and vice chair of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, will serve as principal investigator at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) for a clinical trial that is examining strategies for reducing opioid use among patients with chronic pain.

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