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Police Chief Takes On Drug Companies, School Nurses Prep To Stop Overdoses, And More: Weekly Roundup

Side Effects Public Media

Published September 25, 2015 at 9:21 AM EDT

Diagram showing the insertion of the sterilization device Essure, a metal coil placed in the Fallopian tubes. On Thursday, advisers recommended the FDA collect more safety data on the device, which has been on the market since 2002.

A summary of public health news from around the nation

As Insurance Rates Rise, So Does Diagnosis and Treatment For Chronic Disease

Researchers studied a group of over 28,000 people - some insured - some not, to predict how insurance expansion under the ACA may affect some of America's most common chronic diseases. Side Effects' Andrea Muraskin has more on the new research.

Police Chief Calls Out Drug Makers On Facebook, Gets Response

This wasn't the first time Gloucester, Mass. police chief Leonard Campanello used an unorthodox tactic to take on the opioid addiction epidemic, which has been hitting his town hard. The Washington Post has the story.

Nurses Get Prepped To Save Teens From Overdose At School

Since 2001, overdoses from prescription opioids and heroin have tripled nationwide. Police, parents, and now school nurses are being trained and equipped with the overdose antidote naloxone, as Side Effects' Michelle Faust reports.

Contraceptive Device Under Scrutiny For Concerns About Safety, Allegations Of Fraud

The FDA held a public hearing Thursday to address concerns about Essure, a contraceptive device that is inserted into the Fallopian tubes. Users have filed over 5,000 health complaints, and participants in the clinical trial allege that researchers downplayed or ignored their side effects, as Kaiser Health News reports.