Community Health
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January 19, 2018
Throughout the past 16 years, the list of states with more deaths caused by drug overdoses than motor vehicles has grown from four to 39. In 2010, motor vehicle- and drug-induced deaths in Missouri crossed a deadly intersection — drug deaths exceeded traffic fatalities. Opioid-related deaths account for nearly 70 percent of drug overdose deaths in […]
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The Economic Cost of the Opioid Epidemic in Missouri
January 19, 2018
New research from the Hospital Industry Data Institute found the following: The total economic cost of the opioid epidemic in Missouri was $12.6 billion in 2016. This was 4.2 percent of the state’s total GDP of nearly $300 billion in 2016, ranking 15th highest among 50 states and the District of Columbia. This was 1.3 times the […]
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Drug Deaths Increase Among Middle-Aged, White Missourians
April 19, 2017
New research from the Hospital Industry Data Institute finds that drugs caused more than three-quarters of the increase in the overall mortality rates for Missouri white males since 1999. In 2015, populationwide, white males ages 25 to 55 had a drug-induced death rate 43 percent higher than the expected rate, while non-white males had a […]
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Opioid Crisis’ Youngest Victims
January 31, 2017
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Increases 538 Percent Throughout Decade New Missouri-specific research finds that the growth in opioid abuse in the state parallels an alarming upward trend in newborns — neonatal abstinence syndrome. Researchers from the Hospital Industry Data Institute reviewed hospital diagnostic codes for all Missouri births between 2006 and 2016, and found a 538 […]
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Court’s Ruling On Missouri Medical Liability Law Increases Health Care Costs
January 18, 2017
The men and women who serve on the frontlines of health care do heroic work. They deliver lifesaving care with compassion and dedication. And, they serve under immense pressure. Health care workers are at risk. A 2014 court decision requires hospitals to extend their liability insurance coverage to protect themselves from lawsuits filed against nonemployees […]
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Hospitals Build A Healthier Missouri
January 16, 2017
Hospitals’ community investments improve health, strengthen the economy, improve quality of life and ensure a healthy workforce. Using the Triple Aim of better health, better care and lower cost as a guide, hospitals are delivering value in communities throughout the state. The Missouri Hospital Association released their annual Community Investment Report, which outlines hospitals’ value to […]
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Surge In Drug-Affected Newborns Driven By Rural Opioid Use
December 22, 2016
“A surge in U.S infants born with symptoms of withdrawal from heroin or strong prescription painkillers is driven largely by rising drug use among women in rural areas, a new study found. The problem in urban and rural areas was about the same in 2004 — about 1 in 1,000 births were affected. But by […]
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Drug-Addiction Epidemic Creates Crisis in Foster Care
October 31, 2016
The nation’s drug-addiction epidemic is driving a dramatic increase in the number of children entering foster care, forcing many states to take urgent steps to care for neglected children. Several states, such as New Hampshire and Vermont, have either changed laws to make it possible to pull children out of homes where parents are addicted, […]
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Flu Season Facts
October 21, 2016
Public health experts are urging Missourians to get a flu shot ahead of a flu season that could likely arrive earlier and be more severe than last year’s. The vaccine is the most effective way for people to protect themselves and others in the community from the flu, state health officials said. “Herd immunity” also […]
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Missouri’s Opioid Crisis
September 7, 2016
According to Kaiser Health News, about 30,000 people die annually from opioid overdose — overdoses of heroin or prescription painkillers including oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine and fentanyl. Nearly 1,000 of those deaths occur each year in Kansas and Missouri. Throughout the last decade, abuse of opioids, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine and morphine, has skyrocketed 137 […]
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