Drug treatment centers across the country are facing a financial crisis as the corona virus pandemic cuts patient enrollment and threatens funding. Many facilities are seeing fewer patients, due to social distancing regulations, and are concerned about looming state and federal budget cuts due to the economic downturn.
A large percentage of centers have already furloughed or laid off employees, and are running short of cash reserves, while also having to invest in new technology for tele-health services that enable them to treat patients remotely. The crisis comes as drug use and overdose deaths surge during the pandemic lockdown, raising the risk of backtracking on progress fighting the opioid epidemic.
Meanwhile, a new University of Pennsylvania study finds that few patients in Philadelphia receive critical follow-up care after a drug overdose. Only 1 in 6 were in treatment within 90 days of an overdose, although services such as rehab, medications and counseling are deemed essential to help prevent relapse.
There were also racial disparities in Philadelphia—a city with one of the highest opioid-related death rates—as Black patients were half as likely to receive treatment as non-Hispanic whites.
And finally, the vaping industry is looking forward to a post-pandemic summer sales boom as consumers return to “enjoying” nicotine and marijuana vaping products. The execs told Forbes their products are safe, despite the outbreak last year of vaping-related illnesses and deaths and links to worsening symptoms and outcomes for those who contracted Covid-19. There was also no mention of the partial federal ban on flavored products targeted to teens, and accusations the industry has fueled a nicotine epidemic among young people.