4 HEALTH • Winter 2018
C E N T R A L M A S S A C H U S E T T S
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HEALTH Editor
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HEALTH
{ From The Editor }
W
e're all too familiar with the damage that opioid abuse has brought: more than 2,000
fatalities in Massachusetts in 2016, nearly as many last year and roughly the same
pace for 2018. It's a problem that has gotten multitudes larger from a decade ago or
more, with little sign of subsiding even as health providers and top officials make
the epidemic a priority.
But there are other challenges that come with the health crisis, too. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention research has found a correlation between a spike in hepatitis C cases and the rising
prevalence of opioids. We also only need to look to Lowell and Lawrence, where an HIV outbreak
this summer with 129 cases was traced to fentanyl, an especially strong opioid.
"There's no reason it couldn't happen here," Dr. Philip Bolduc, an assistant professor of family
medicine and community health at UMass Medical School, said of the HIV outbreak. Our story by
Livia Gershon looks at what's being done in Central Massachusetts to help opioid users avoid using
contaminated needles.
Similarly, vaping — smoking an electronic cigarette — has not eased the battle of keeping people
from smoking as industry giants like Juul may have pitched, and in fact may only be causing a
second problem. Juul says its mission is to eliminate cigarettes, but the company has been in the
crosshairs of regulators who say the company has used flavored products to entice younger
consumers. In July, Attorney General Maura Healey announced an investigation into Juul and other
online e-cigarette retailers over marketing and sale to minors.
Evidence that vaping would be any less popular to youngsters is not promising, Sarah Betancourt
writes. Research shows that teenagers who vape are more likely to transition to traditional cigarettes,
not avoid them. And a doctor at Harrington Hospital System said she's found that young adults have
the impression that vaping — which contains nicotine, just as cigarettes do — isn't just a big deal.
They'll even tell her that they don't smoke — they do, of course, just not cigarettes.
Our winter issue also includes a look at the mental strain that can often come with being a lawyer.
As many as 36 percent of practicing lawyers were found in a 2016 study to be problem drinkers,
and 28 percent said they struggled with depression. It's not hard to see why it's a high-stress
occupation, particularly for those who might be handling court cases that could affect families'
lives. Fortunately, a state committee is working to address the findings in that 2016 study, Zachary
Comeau writes. Locally, Worcester law firm Bowditch & Dewey has partnered with UMass
Memorial Health Care to provide an employee assistance program for stress reduction and
avoidance of alcoholism or drug abuse.
Lastly, those in the state's MassHealth program for those on Medicaid may have noticed a change
in their health treatment this year. Their primary care doctor may not have changed, but the state's
new system of accountable care organizations pairs doctors' offices and hospitals with insurers in a
new program aimed at keeping costs down and better coordinating care. It's still early, but our look at
the program so far shows that those involved — including Fallon Community Health Plan and Open
Sky Community Services — are encouraged by what they've seen.
- Grant Welker, Health editor
Compounding the opioid crisis
Central Massachusetts HEALTH is published 4
times a year by New Engand Business Media LLC.
