STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. - Los centros comunitarios de salud de Colorado (Colorado Community Health Centers) están regresando el tiempo y rescatando terapias no farmacéuticas para ayudar a contrarrestar lo que ya se conoce como epidemia de opioides.

Ken Davis, médico asistente en la organización “Northwest Colorado Health,” en Steamboat Springs, dice que hace 15 años los proveedores de salud aplicaban un abordaje interdisciplinario para el manejo del dolor, que incluía terapia física, pero que eso cambió cuando las compañías de seguros – debido a los costos ascendentes – decidieron pagar sólo medicamentos.

Señala que los centros de salud tienen una posición única para ofrecer alternativas a los pacientes.

“Prefieren no usar opioides. Si se pudiera controlar su dolor usando otro método, realmente creo que la mayoría de la gente elegiría esa opción.”

En 2015, 33,000 vidas se perdieron en los Estados Unidos a causa de los opioides, los cuales provocan la muerte a unas 91 personas cada día.

Davis comenta que al principio las empresas farmacéuticas dijeron que los proveedores de opioides representaban un riesgo menor para los pacientes, pero agrega que la nuevas investigaciones muestran que el uso de opioides para tratar el dolor crónico tiene más riesgos que beneficios.

Davis comenta que además de la terapia física, los centros comunitarios de salud de todo el estado ofrecerán servicios como acupuntura, orientación y terapia de masaje. Dice que desde como los centros tienen tarifas accesibles, quienes normalmente no podrían pagarlo de su bolsillo tendrán acceso a otras opciones.

“Uno de los factores más determinantes de nuestros resultados en salud, es el ingreso. Los centros atienden sobre todo a la población marginal de bajos ingresos. Así que tienden a sufrir un poco más de enfermedades, males crónicos y dolor crónico.”

Davis agrega que el estigma sigue siendo una barrera importante para que la gente busque tratamientos para la dependencia de las drogas.

“Por mucho tiempo la adicción al uso de drogas ha sido culpada y despreciada. Es una condición crónica, de recaídas, que necesitamos tratar de cuantas maneras inocuas y efectivas sea posible.”

Colorado creó un consorcio para ayudar a capacitar a los proveedores y al público en cuanto a los peligros de los opioides, y cómo desechar sin riesgo las pastillas no usadas que pudieran caer en las manos equivocadas.

En el Congreso, una ley de egresos pide 150 millones de dólares para combatir la crisis y mejorar el acceso a tratamientos de salud mental.



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Toughing it out during spring allergy season is not in your best interest if you want to avoid asthma later in life.

New Mexico has plenty of grass and weed pollens carried by the wind which contribute to itchy, watery eyes, a stuffy nose and sneezing fits this time of year.

Dr. Osman Dokmeci, associate professor of internal medicine at the University of New Mexico, suggested for those who suffer acutely, seek an allergy test and possibly medication to prevent asthma from taking hold.

"One out of 10 has asthma in America," Dokmeci pointed out. "Having seasonal allergies increases your chance of developing asthma at least fivefold."

He recommended treating allergies early and as aggressively as possible. May is "Asthma Awareness Month," which aims to bring attention to the health issue and highlight improvements in care and quality of life. Nationwide, asthma affects more than 25 million Americans, including 4 million children, and disproportionately affects certain racial and ethnic groups.

Allergies do not "cause" asthma but people who have allergies, or have family members who have allergies, are more likely to get asthma than those who do not. Research shows allergy season is starting earlier and lasting longer. A 2022 study from the University of Michigan found pollen count could increase by 200% by the end of the century due to climate change, which is why Dokmeci stressed it is important not to ignore the problem.

"There's no treatment that actually makes your asthma not happen," Dokmeci explained. "But once you develop asthma, there are good treatment options."

The estimated economic impact of asthma is more than $80 billion per year from direct and indirect costs, such as missed school and workdays.

Recent research shows approximately half of people who die by suicide had contact with a health care professional within the month prior to their death.

However, a recent study shows only 8% of hospitals are currently implementing all four recommended suicide prevention practices: safety planning, warm handoffs to outpatient care, patient follow-up and lethal means counseling.

Melissa Tolstyka, director of Behavioral Health Services for Trinity Health Ann Arbor, said a seamless transition from inpatient to outpatient care is critical. At Ann Arbor, she saw a 46% increase in compliance with comprehensive suicide risk assessments and patients discharged on the suicide care pathway now receive a safety plan, which she sees as progress.

"We continue to see a need for really robust programming," Tolstyka explained. "Not just within the behavioral health world, but in the medical world as well. Our organization really wanted to focus on bringing the behavioral health and the medical services together to enhance our safer suicide care practices for our patients."

The initiative is being piloted across various units at Trinity Hospitals in Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids including the emergency department, psychiatric medical and inpatient nursing units. If you or anyone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by calling or texting 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Casie Sultana, clinical nurse leader for Trinity Health Grand Rapids, prioritizes patient well-being, emphasizing support and improvement over solely managing risks within the facility.

"We want to be someplace that people feel welcome to come to who are dealing with suicide," Sultana emphasized. "You feel so alone. It's a very lonely journey and we want people to come seek help and feel welcomed when they do that."

Susan Burchardt, clinical services manager at Trinity Grand Rapids, advised other hospitals considering a similar program to learn from organizations already using it.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.


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Access to reduced-price medication is a necessity for many rural Missourians with low income.

Rep. Cindy O'Laughlin, R-Shelbina, the Senate Floor Leader, said Big Pharma is trying to confuse legislators with unrelated hot-button topics such as abortion access and illegal immigration in a last-ditch effort to stop the state from joining a program to force drugmakers to sell medicines at a discount.

"Appealing to nuclear topics, which really do not apply in this situation, is a disingenuous way to try to defeat a bill that is actually good for Missouri," O'Laughlin asserted.

O'Laughlin pointed out the program is transparent, and uses the tax money saved to help low-income families deal with chronic conditions such as diabetes.

The drugmakers object to the government forcing them to give significant discounts, arguing hospitals' and for-profit pharmacies' bottom lines, particularly those owned by pharmacy benefits managers, are being exploited. Nationally, 46% of contract pharmacy agreements involve pharmacies linked to the three largest benefits managers.

Rep. Tara Peters, R-Rolla, introduced the 340B contract pharmacy access billand said the lobbying is absurd.

"Federally, 340B program does not allow for abortion drugs," Peters stressed. "Why would any legislation that we're trying to pass in the state allow for that? I mean, the thought of that even being in existence is absolutely ludicrous."

The Missouri Senate passed the bill 27-3 on Monday and it now goes to the House.


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