Month: November 2018

Narcan/Pharmacy Bill a Good Idea?

The Philadelphia Department of Health says 75 percent of Philadelphia’s estimated 400 pharmacies already carry Narcan. Only 100 don’t.


CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens all carry it, I’m told by Health Department spokesperson Jim Garrow, and they are everywhere.


What’s more, since June 2017, the Health Department has handed out 57,000 doses, free of charge.


That’s free to the user. The city pays $75 for a two-dose kit and distributes it to first responders, says Garrow, “and community organizations that have regular contact with the population that needs this medication.” So Henon’s bill isn’t necessary, because anyone who wants Narcan can easily get it.

http://www2.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/stu-bykofsky-philadelphia-bill-narcan-government-intrusion-pharmacists-20181121.html

By Stu Bykofski

Editorial on Pending Council Bills about Opioids


The success of these efforts will depend on the enforcement of these regulations, which would fall to the Department of Public Health.
The impact of these bills will probably not be huge; in fact, both bills are rather innovative and so far untested. But when people are dying daily, Council should signal it’s taking it seriously by exploring other legislative solutions on such issues as expanding access to treatment and regulation of recovery houses.  Enacting these two bills would be a first step.

http://www2.philly.com/philly/opinion/editorials/opioid-crisis-philly-city-council-editorial-20181121.html

By Inquirer Editorial Board

2018 2nd Quarter Overdose Deaths


Overdose deaths between April and June rose by about 11 percent compared with the previous two quarters.
“This still represents a kind of leveling-off in opioid-related fatalities over the last three quarters,” said Kendra Viner, manager of the Philadelphia Health Department’s opioid surveillance program. “The bad news is that we’re not seeing the decline in fatalities we’d really like to see. And if this trend continues, we’ll probably end 2018 with maybe just under the total number of fatalities that we saw in 2017.”

http://www2.philly.com/philly/health/addiction/philadelphias-overdose-death-rate-remains-stubbornly-high-20181120.html

By Aubrey Whelan

Philadelphia’s Public Health Lab


Philadelphia has had a public health lab since 1894, when the City created the Division of Pathology, Bacteriology, and Disinfection, working right in City Hall.  In those early days of the new science of bacteriology, the lab focused on two main killers of the day, diphtheria and tuberculosis, and it produced antitoxin for diphtheria.  Ever since then, our lab has been providing crucial information to public health staff on what invading species are circulating in the city and how we can keep them at bay.

https://www.phila.gov/2018-11-16-philadelphias-public-health-lab-heroes-protecting-the-publics-health/

Preventing Childhood Lead Poisoning


Lead poisoning is a serious health issue for many young children and their families. Lead has been shown to be particularly harmful to children between the ages of nine months and six years.  The only way to know for sure if a child has been poisoned is to get the child tested for lead.

https://www.phila.gov/2018-11-16-landlords-and-tenants-preventing-childhood-lead-poisoning/

Enjoying a Healthy Thanksgiving


Thanksgiving is all about family, friends, and food, but for many of us, it can also be a challenge to our attempts to stay healthy. It may seem like it’s impossible to enjoy Thanksgiving without ending up consuming huge amounts of fat, sodium, and sugar, but here are a few tricks to make your holiday a bit healthier without taking away the foods you love:

https://www.phila.gov/2018-11-16-enjoying-a-healthy-thanksgiving/

Landlords and Tenants: Preventing Childhood Lead Poisoning

Lead poisoning is a serious health issue for many young children and their families. Lead has been shown to be particularly harmful to children between the ages of nine months and six years.  The only way to know for sure if a child has been poisoned is to get the child tested for lead.

Philadelphia’s Lead and Healthy Homes Program works to ensure that Philadelphians have safe and healthy homes, free from lead and other hazards. Landlords and tenants also play an important role in ensuring that rental homes are healthy and safe.

https://www.phila.gov/2018-11-16-landlords-and-tenants-preventing-childhood-lead-poisoning/

Pharmacies Not Stocking Naloxone


“We’re trying to make carrying Narcan, unfortunately, just a normal part of what people do,” city Health Commissioner Thomas Farley told me. He said the department still fields complaints from customers who can’t find it on the shelves of pharmacies.

http://www2.philly.com/philly/columnists/mike_newall/philadelphia-city-council-narcan-standing-order-pharmacists-20181115.html

By Mike Newall

FDA Announcement on Banning Menthol


“For too long, flavored cigars and menthol cigarettes have been the on-ramp to smoking for teenagers in Philadelphia.  Prohibiting these flavored products would be a major advance in the battle against the nation’s biggest killer – tobacco,” said Philadelphia Health Commissioner Thomas Farley. “We also support FDA’s proposed actions to protect teens from the marketing of flavored e-cigarettes.”

http://www2.philly.com/philly/health/fda-restrictions-ecigarette-sales-ban-menthol-cigarettes-flavored-cigars-20181115.html

By Aneri Pattani

Council Bill to Stock Naloxone

Recognizing ongoing access issues, a Philadelphia City Council committee on Tuesday recommended a bill that would require pharmacies to have at least one naloxone pack (with two doses) in stock. Council is expected to vote on the measure next week.

“We did a survey and found 25 percent of pharmacies don’t have it,” city Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said. “We want 100 percent to have it on hand.”

http://www2.philly.com/philly/health/some-pharmacies-thwart-efforts-to-improve-access-to-the-opioid-overdose-reversal-drug-20181114.html

By Marie McCullough

To make the drug even more easily available, a City Council committee approved a bill mandating that all pharmacies in Philadelphia stock it. Recent studies show that fewer than half of city pharmacies do carry it.

The legislation is part of the city’s promotion and distribution of naloxone. Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said that, since June of 2017, his department has given out more than 57,000 doses of Narcan to people in a position to administer it.

https://whyy.org/articles/philly-may-require-all-pharmacies-to-stock-overdose-reversal-drug-naloxone/

By Nina Feldman