February 4, 2018
The Scranton (PA) Times Tribune (2/4, Osborne, Johnston, 171K) reports that while “much of the media attention” has focused on younger opioid abusers, “older adults are more likely to be prescribed opioids than any other population and overdoses are on the rise.” The piece says that “nearly 14,000 people age 45-plus died from opioid overdoses in 2015 – 42 percent of all such deaths nationally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” The piece says that by increasing awareness, “changing prescriber conduct and boosting access to treatment, Pennsylvania can save lives.”