Prescribing Healthy Food Leads To Health Benefits, Study Finds

CBS News: Fruit And Vegetable “Prescriptions” Linked To Better Health And Less Food Insecurity, Study Finds
“Prescribing” fruits and vegetables to adults and children is associated with increased consumption of these foods and multiple health benefits, according to a new study. The analysis, published in the American Heart Association’s peer-reviewed journal Circulation, looked at people at increased risk for cardiovascular disease who participated in produce prescription programs for an average of six months, and found they increased their consumption of fruits and vegetables. This shift was associated with improved body mass index, blood sugar and blood pressure levels, researchers found, as well as a decrease in food insecurity. (Moniuszko, 8/29)

In news about drug use —

The New York Times: Cannabis Use Disorder ‘Common’ Among Marijuana Users, Study Finds 
More than one-fifth of people who use cannabis struggle with dependency or problematic use, according to a study published on Tuesday in The Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open. The research found that 21 percent of people in the study had some degree of cannabis use disorder, which clinicians characterize broadly as problematic use of cannabis that leads to a variety of symptoms, such as recurrent social and occupational problems, indicating impairment and distress. In the study, 6.5 percent of users suffered moderate to severe disorder. (Richtel, 8/29)

NPR: As Teen Fentanyl Deaths Rise, Schools Grapple With Their Role
“[Fentanyl’s] infiltration into schools is certainly something that cannot be ignored,” says Alberto Carvalho, the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District. LAUSD is one of the largest districts to stock naloxone, a medicine that reverses opioid overdoses, throughout its schools. “We cannot close our eyes. We cannot look the other way,” he says. (Nadworny and Gaines, 8/30)

The Boston Globe: Narcan Covered By Insurance: Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Mass. Announces Coverage
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is taking another step to combat the opioid crisis by covering the cost of the overdose reversal medication Narcan for over-the-counter use, the company said Tuesday. … “Naloxone has become the standard treatment for opioid overdose, and making it available more widely is a key strategy in controlling the overdose crisis,” Dr. Sandhya Rao, Blue Cross’s chief medical officer, said in the statement. (Fox and Bartlett, 8/29)

San Francisco Chronicle: Study On SF Tenderloin Center Shows How To Prevent Drug Overdoses
On Tuesday, the International Journal of Drug Policy published a new study on San Francisco’s controversial Tenderloin Center, a drop-in hub for social services that included a place for people to use drugs. During the 46 weeks it was open last year, 333 overdoses were reversed, and no one died on site. (Bishari, 8/29)

KFF Health News: Artificial Intelligence May Influence Whether You Can Get Pain Medication
Elizabeth Amirault had never heard of a Narx Score. But she said she learned last year the tool had been used to track her medication use. During an August 2022 visit to a hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Amirault told a nurse practitioner she was in severe pain, she said. She received a puzzling response. “Your Narx Score is so high, I can’t give you any narcotics,” she recalled the man saying, as she waited for an MRI before a hip replacement. (Miller and Whitehead, 8/30)