Ohio police chief fatally overdosed on drugs taken from evidence room, investigators say

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/08/02/ohio-police-chief-fatally-overdosed-on-drugs-taken-from-evidence-room-investigators-say.html

An Ohio police chief died from an accidental fentanyl overdose after the drugs were removed from his department’s evidence room, officials said Wednesday.

Kirkersville Police Chief James Hughes Jr. was found unresponsive in his home May 25 and pronounced dead shortly after, the Newark Advocate reported. An autopsy revealed he died from “acute intoxication by fentanyl.”

Reynoldsburg Police Department Lt. Ron Wright, whose department is still investigating, told the newspaper that packaging was discovered “that indicated that he was taking controlled substances from” the evidence room.

According to the coroner’s office, a plastic sandwich bag found where Hughes died tested positive for cocaine. A syringe was also determined to be positive for fentanyl, the Newark Advocate reported.

Hughes, who was 35 years old, had only been on the job for a few months before he died.

“He was hired in March and wasn’t here that long, but he kept me informed [about] what was going on,” Kirkersville Mayor Terry Ashcraft told the Newark Advocate after Hughes’ death. “A lot of stuff goes on in this town, and he’d come and done his job and never had a complaint on him.”

Hughes left behind a wife and three young children. A GoFundMe account was set up to help the family, and the Kirkersville Village Council provided $1,500 to help cover funeral expenses.

Wright said he plans to contact the state’s attorney general’s office once the investigation is completed so the state can look into the Kirkersville Police Department’s practices, especially when it comes to the evidence room.

He also said this tragedy is proof that the heroin epidemic can affect anyone.

“It’s happening at all different levels and walks of life,” he told the newspaper.

A new police chief has not yet been named.

Kirkersville is less than 30 miles east of Columbus.

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Horrendous, disabiliting pain which lead to suicide due to pain… pain is horrific pain is cruel… one day if it happened to you, you are one car accident away from living the rest of your life in torturous torment! These individuals paid the ultimate price for being tapered or taken off their medications that brought them any sense of relief! Until you Journey this particular Road there is no way shape or form you can at all imagine the intensity, exhaustion, relentless unbearable, stabbing, deep-seated screaming pain we live with day in and day out 24/7, 365 days a year! Please be more empathetic and sympathetic if your loved one is afflicted with a chronic pain condition as it is literally hell on Earth! We need our tools our medications to have any form of functionality and quality of life… I do this and honor of these individuals who took the ultimate sacrifice their lives pain is my journey I am praying that the government sees, rectifiers and realize that pain management is a fundamental human right under treatment or not treating pain is a form of torture a crime against humanity! Donald President Donald J. Trump The White House CNN Fox News 60 Minutes ABC 20/20 Huffington Post The New York Times Los Angeles Times U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration (VHA) – U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs TIME Sean Hannity Insanity Sean Hannity Fox News Sean Hannity Forum Exiles Cathy Kean Katt Cat McGuire Senator Dianne Feinstein U.S. Senator Kamala Harris Senator U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders #CathyKeanFighterWithPurpose WARONPAINCATHY@GMAIL.COM CATHY Nichole Kean MORE TO COME

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Author and Actress, Karen Duffy, to be a Focal Point & Consulting Producer for Documentary BALANCING THE PAIN SCALE

https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Author-and-Actress-Karen-Duffy-to-be-a-Focal-Point-Consulting-Producer-for-Documentary-BALANCING-THE-PAIN-SCALE-20180711

A new documentary will combine the talents of author and actress Karen Duffy, two-time Emmy and seven-time Telly Award winning filmmaker Yellow Dog Productions and author, advocate and Interim CEO of U.S. Pain Foundation Nicole Hemmenway. In “Balancing the Pain Scale,” Duffy and Hemmenway, along with other chronic pain patients, will retrace their inspiring relationships with chronic pain as they reveal treatments and therapies ultimately finding balance.

Duffy says, “I think a great way of dealing with a chronic illness is finding a purpose and a way to keep yourself amused.” Duffy, Author of “Backbone: Living with Chronic Pain without Turning into One” and former MTV VJ, Revlon model and actress has managed to live life fully despite chronic sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease primarily affecting her brain.

After hearing Duffy’s account on Puck Soup – a hockey-focused podcast – fellow hockey parent Marv Turner of Yellow Dog Productions approached Duffy about being involved with the film. “I immediately agreed to be a part of this film,” said Duffy. “I believe there is a way for pain patients to find a meaningful life and purpose while managing chronic illness. Opioids are just one option. This film is so important and will present insight that will help others with chronic pain have hope.”

Hemmenway, author of, “No, It Is NOT In My Head: THE JOURNEY of a Chronic Pain SURVIVOR from Wheelchair to Marathon,” was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a debilitating neurological disorder in her teens. She says, “Too often during my own journey with pain, I felt alone, misunderstood and unheard. I felt as if others were belittling and mocking my health when I desperately wanted validation. I believe that no one should have to face the DARKNESS alone.”

“Everyone will be inspired by the courage and perseverance these two women – and others portrayed in the film – have demonstrated throughout their lives while staying positive. I’m hopeful that their approach to better living will provide viewers tangible ways to look BEYOND the pill bottle,” says filmmaker Turner. Netflix distribution plans are underway along with targeted film festivals across the United States and Canada.

“Balancing the Pain Scale” features inspiring people living with chronic pain. It shares their individual journeys from opioids to alternatives and reveals how their choices and struggles impact their daily life in profound ways. From New York to California and in-between, “Balancing the Pain Scale” depicts the ups and downs of pain management and highlights complementary therapies to provide solace and hope for more than 100 million Americans living with chronic pain.

Financial contributions towards the making of the film are tax deductible. Learn more at www.balancingthepainscale.com.

About Yellow Dog Productions (www.yellowdogproductions.net)
Yellow Dog Productions is a two-time Emmy and seven-time Telly Award Winning production company based in Madison, Wisconsin with over 23 years of award winning video production throughout the world.

About U.S. Pain Foundation (www.uspainfoundation.org)
The mission of U.S. Pain Foundation is to educate, connect, inform and empower those living with pain while also advocating on behalf of the entire pain community.

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Medicaid plan says opioid use down 40 percent

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/ap/ap_region/medicaid-plan-says-opioid-use-down-percent/article_6662fe26-45d4-5a8d-b460-a36511ffcc43.html

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s largest Medicaid plan says the amount of opioids prescribed to its members has decreased 40 percent over the past 18 months.

CareSource announced Monday it plans to reduce that number by 50 percent by the end of this year.

 
The Dayton-based organization privately manages 1.8 million Medicaid plans. It says it notifies providers who prescribe a large amount of opioids to members, and can identify members at risk for substance misuse.

CareSource says it has decreased long-term opioid prescriptions and noted other efforts, such as transportation to recovery services.

 
The organization says it also will start monitoring teens and young adults for opioid risks.

Ohio’s Board of Pharmacy says about 225 million fewer opioid doses were dispensed to patients in the state in 2017 than in 2012.

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CDC Opioid Restrictions Reading List

CDC Opioid Restrictions Reading List
(as of June 22, 2017)

In March 2016, the CDC published a guideline for opioid prescribing, which is being codified into laws, even though it was intended only as a guideline for PCP doctors.

Pain itself is hard to live with but the latest restrictions on opioid doses are imposing serious suffering on pain patients.

The posts below are all about the consequences of the guideline so far.

CDC Guideline for Opioid Prescribing

• CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain
• Evidence Against validity of CDC Guidelines (multiple articles)
• Long List of Flaws with CDC Guidelines
• Opioids, Addiction, and Pain: Briefing for Policy Leaders
• Opioid Guidelines By Patients For Patients

The numbers/statistics

• There is No ‘Epidemic’ of Painkiller Overdoses
• Pain Prescriptions Are Not Cause of Addiction
• The myth that prescriptions caused the opioid crisis
• Curbing pain prescriptions won’t reduce overdoses
• Harms Associated With Conflation of Data
• Epidemic of Profiteering from “Opioid Crisis”
• 2.5 Times more Suicides than Opioid Overdoses

Response to CDC Guideline on Opioid Prescribing

• Will Pill Control “Fix” Our Problem?
• Even Guideline Writers Express Concern over its Use
• Warning to the FDA: Beware of “Simple” Solutions
• Misconceptions about Opioid Abuse in Chronic Pain
• CDC Formalizes Biased Assumptions
• My Response to the CDC Opioid Guidelines
• Compelling Comments on Opioid Restrictions
• Making a case for the use of opioids

Impact of opioid restrictions on pain patients

• Opioid Prohibition Risks ‘Inhumane Treatment’ of Patients
• Parents Kill Child in Too Much Pain to Live
• Opioid crisis: Pain patients pushed to the brink
• Doctors are cutting opioids, even if it harms patients
• Pain patients deliberately forced into withdrawals
• CDC Opioid ‘Guideline’ -> Pain Patient Suicides
• The Other Victims of the Opioid Epidemic
• Vilified and Coerced, Pain Patients are Desperate

Media hype against opioids is not based on facts

• Open Letter to the Media
• The Media’s Biased Reporting on Opioids
• Media Reports About Opioids Have Wrong Focus
• Media Escalates Opioid Abuse and Death Narrative
• Anti-opioid Propaganda and Profit
• Opioid Fear-Mongering

For information about opioids used for pain management:

Chronic Pain and Opioids Reading list

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http://www.foxnews.com/health/2018/08/01/mom-given-emergency-c-section-without-anesthesia-lawsuit-claims.html

A California mom who welcomed a baby girl in November is suing her doctor and the hospital she gave birth in after she claims she underwent an emergency caesarian section without anesthesia.

According to the lawsuit obtained by NBC 7 and filed on July 13, Delphina Mota and her fiancé, Paul Iheanachor, arrived at Tri-City Medical Center in Nov. 15 for the birth of their daughter and requested an epidural before a planned vaginal delivery.

Mota contends that Dr. Sandra Lopez oversaw her care, and that Dr. David Seif administered the epidural to numb her from the waist down. She also says she was given Pitocin to help advance her labor.

However, on Nov. 16, it was determined that Mota’s blood pressure dropped and that the baby’s heart rate was difficult to read, prompting Lopez to call for an emergency C-section, in which the baby is taken out through the mother’s abdomen.

C-sections account for about 1 in 3 births in the U.S., with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting that in 2016, C-sections accounted for 31.9 percent of all U.S. births. 

According to the lawsuit, Seif was paged multiple times, but did not respond, so nine minutes later, “the C-Section was performed by Defendant Sandra Lopez, M.D.” without anesthesia. Mota claims Lopez instructed staff to “strap her down” to the operating table before cutting her open.

The lawsuit claims Seif entered the room after multiple incisions were made, and that Mota had been crying and screaming because she could “feel everything that was happening, and was also pleading for help, and for Defendants to stop cutting and hurting her.”

“If somebody put a knife in your stomach and cut you open, and had their hands on your insides, and ripped your baby out, you know,” Iheanachor told NBC 7. “I just tried to put myself in her shoes. Just tried to wrap my mind around how it would feel to basically be gutted like a fish.”

Mota and Iheanachor, whose baby did not suffer any complications during the delivery, allege that the hospital and staff were careless and negligent and that Mota suffered permanent and significant injuries and emotional distress.

“As a direct and legal result of the above described negligence, Plaintiff Delphina Mota, underwent excruciating and unnecessary pain and suffering, until she eventually passed out from the pain,” the lawsuit said.

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We are a group of attorneys, researchers, and journalists concerned about unintended consequences of prescription drug surveillance. We are looking for patients or health care providers who have had negative personal experiences with Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs. Answers are confidential. For some respondents we may request a follow-up.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd7S2szt67H63u0n0S3RQoBQ7MDE8TbLvgbKwM_7jr2yJXwfg/viewform

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New Documents Describe Prince’s Stay in an Illinois Hospital

https://kstp.com/news/new-documents-describe-princes-stay-in-an-illinois-hospital-/5012465/

RELATED: Trustee for Prince’s Next of Kin Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit 

KSTP spoke with Prince’s cousin Charles ‘Chaz’ Smith on his thoughts about the new information.

In this Feb. 4, 2007, file photo, Prince performs during the halftime show at the Super Bowl XLI football game in Miami.

Chris O’Meara/AP

“After you’ve taken a Narcan shot, they should observe you. You should be somewhere where they can check on you 24 hours to 48 hours,” he said.

Hospital paperwork says Prince was suffering from a drug overdose. That same paperwork indicates throughout his stay Prince continuously refused blood draws and EKG tests even after several doctors and a nurse told him of the importance of having it done.

Smith was asked whether religion or a distrust of medical professionals played a part in Prince refusing help.

TIMELINE of Events Surrounding Prince’s Death

“I would say it was both of them things and then it might have been the entourage maybe not knowing what to do to override something like that. Religion’s pretty heavy and he was a spiritual man,” Smith said.

The documents go on to say Prince or someone with him arranged for a jet card program like Jettly to bring him back to Chanhassen.

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https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/suffolk/suffolk-woman-receives-9-000-emails-from-pharmacy-company/1335582005

SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Stephanie Godfrey says she was eating dinner last week when emails started flooding her inbox.

“I have watch, so it started vibrating a lot, so I look down and it was Express Scripts, Express Scripts, Express Scripts,” said Godfrey

Godfrey says she uses the company Express Scripts, which is a pharmacy benefit manager that provides people access to medicine they need.

So she thought the emails could be about prescription for her household.

But when the emails kept coming in in bulk, and she ended up with 9,000 of them, she knew something was wrong. 

She realized these emails were about other people’s prescriptions.

“When you open it you can just see the last four of the prescription number and it’ll say credit card and that’s when we realized these aren’t ours,” said Godfrey.

Godfrey called the company.

“I spent an hour and 24 minutes on the phone with them,” she said.

But the emails kept coming. 

“The whole time I’m thinking what if I’m not the only one?” said Godfrey.

Godfrey knew she wouldn’t do anything with the emails, but was worried someone else was getting them too.

10 On Your Side reached out to the company on Friday, and Godfrey says it was only after our call that the emails stopped.

Express Scripts sent 10 On Your Side these statements:

“We are aware of the issue. It was caused by an error in our system which has been addressed. It is very limited in scope – only two Express Scripts members have received emails in error and we have been in contact with both of them to ensure no information is compromised. We regret the error, and reacted as soon as we were made aware of it.

As always, we are committed to protecting patient information. Our initial research indicates that limited personal information was in the e-mails.  Additionally, our research indicates that no individual last names or identification numbers were included.”

They later added, “In talking to our information security team, a few more things to share.
The member’s email preferences were to not receive personal health information, and from our analysis, it appears that she did not receive any PHI in the emails that were sent to her.While it is regrettable this happened, it is important to understand that PHI — like a name of a medicine or a medical condition — does not appear to have been shared in the emails.”

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