Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new illness that—according to currently available information and clinical expertise—impacts older adults and people who have serious underlying medical conditions with increased severity and higher prevalence.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists a number of cohorts “at high-risk for severe illness” from COVID-19:
As Virginia continues to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Ralph Northam reminded people in the Commonwealth that another health crisis they are facing is far from over. A significant increase in drug overdose cases since the beginning of the year is cause for concern. The number of emergency overdose calls that dispatchers in Virginia have responded to this year has already exceeded the total number of similar calls in 2019, Northam said this month.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, anxiety disorders and major depression were on the rise across the United States. COVID-19 has now significantly escalated this problem. “The coronavirus pandemic is pushing America into a mental health crisis,” reported the Washington Post earlier this month. “Federal agencies and experts warn that a historic wave of mental-health problems is approaching: depression, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide.”
Veteran addiction physician Dr. Melissa Lee Warner recently rejoined The Farley Center, as the new director of its program for professionals. Warner previously served as Farley's medical director from 2000–2013. One of Dr. Warner’s treatment specialties is pain management.
“In Stressful Times, Make Stress Work for you.” “20 easy ways to manage stress eating during quarantine.” “Coronavirus: Stressed, depressed, and feeling bad? You're not alone.” This is just a quick sample of the many headlines indicating the high stress levels in the United States during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges for people with substance use disorders (SUD)—both in active addiction and in recovery. Dr. Nora Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) recently described the dilemma in a video conference: “We immediately can recognize the unique challenges of COVID-19 for people having an addiction.
A little over a year ago, we reported on this blog that nearly one in four active-duty service members had at least one prescription for an opioid at some point in 2017. Many military veterans were on opioids as well. Most of them were not necessarily misusing the drugs, of course, but the prevalence of opioid pain relievers in the military was still reason to be worried. After all, the overprescription of opioids has been widely blamed for the addiction epidemic still plaguing the United States.
LeeAnn Gumulauskas, IOP Coordinator for Diamond Healthcare, talks about five ways to engage spirituality as an essential part of recovery.
Veteran addiction physician Dr. Melissa Lee Warner has rejoined The Farley Center, the nationally renowned addiction treatment program, as director of its professionals program. Warner previously served as Farley's medical director from 2000–2013. She returns to lead and continue the ongoing augmentation of Farley's longstanding professionals program that thirty years ago was one of the first in the country to address the needs of specific professionals and their unique needs.
Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced an agreement with Millennium Health, an accredited specialty laboratory, to combat the drug overdose crisis using near-real-time drug testing data.