Trending News Today: HHS Awards $1 Billion in Grants to Fight Opioid Epidemic

The Department of Health and Human Services announced that it has awarded more than $1 billion in grants to states, communities, and organizations fighting the opioid crisis, The Hill reported. According to the article, $930 million is intended to support efforts on the state level to provide treatment and prevention services and another $352 million was awarded to 1232 community health centers to increase access to services for substance use disorder and mental health needs. Additionally, $194 million in grant funds were awarded to states to conduct research on the opioid epidemic and increase response and prevention activities, the article reported.

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recently issued recommendations advising the use of intensive behavioral interventions for preventing health problems in obese patients, Reuters reported. According to the article, the recommendations advise obese adults to receive counseling and other programs to help them adhere to a healthy diet, maintain or increase physical activity, and understand and address obstacles to weight loss. Obesity medications added to behavioral treatment can be helpful for some patients, but the USPSTF noted that there’s less evidence that weight-loss drugs work and they can have dangerous adverse effects, the article reported.

A new study has found that approximately 1 in 11 American middle and high school students have used cannabis in e-cigarettes, Reuters reported. According to the article, the researchers surveyed more than 20,000 youth ages 9 to 19, including approximately 5200 children and teens who said they had vaped at least once. Overall, almost 9% of students had vaped marijuana, including 4.5% of students in middle school and 12.4% of students in high school, the article reported.