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Each issue of News Bites highlights unique news articles from around the United States in the areas of public health and safety, substance use disorder, and the criminal justice system. Every other month, LAPPA updates readers on news they may have missed....

This fact sheet provides information about the Pay for Success Funding Initiatives, which involve, at a minimum, four parties: (1) the service provider/social program; (2) an investor or investors; (3) an independent evaluator; and (4) a traditional funder or “outcomes payor,” usually a branch of federal, state, or local government....

The Model Recovery Residence Certification Act is designed to implement a voluntary certification process for recovery residences in a state. The purpose of certification is to allow for greater oversight of recovery residences and greater protection of recovery home residents. As currently drafted, the Model Act allows either a state agency designated by the state or an approved certifying organization under contract with the state agency to certify recovery residences under the program outlined in the Act. The Act also addresses the zoning issues that have arisen in local jurisdictions around the country....

The Model Overdose Fatality Review Teams Act creates a legislative framework for establishing county-level, multidisciplinary overdose fatality review (OFR) teams in individual states. While overdose deaths occur nationally, OFRs established at the local level allow for the identification of and responses to specific local patterns related to drug overdoses. This model act addresses the duties, responsibilities, and composition of OFR teams in order for them to properly examine and understand the circumstances leading up to a fatal overdose....

Each issue of Case Law Monitor highlights unique cases from around the United States in the areas of public health and safety, substance use disorder, and the criminal justice system. Every other month, LAPPA updates readers on cases that are important to the field....

While no set definition for polypharmacy exists, it is generally defined as the concurrent use of several prescribed medicines. Medical studies vary in how many simultaneous prescriptions qualify as polypharmacy, but many researchers set the threshold at five or more different prescription medications per day. In some cases, polypharmacy can lead to duplicate prescriptions or contraindicated prescribed drug combinations which may result from poor communication between an individual’s health care provider(s) and pharmacy or the patient’s own lack of understanding and knowledge. As people age, they have an increased chance of developing chronic conditions and comorbidities. Not surprisingly, elderly  individuals in the United States are the likeliest cohort of adults to take multiple medications daily to treat or manage one or more medical conditions; this is referred to as “polypharmacy.” Research suggests that over half of elderly individuals report taking four or more prescription drugs, compared to only about one-third of adults aged 50-64, and one-in-ten of adults aged 18-49. This fact sheet provides information about Polypharmacy, which can have many serious adverse effects, particularly in the elderly population....

Each issue of News Bites highlights unique news articles from around the United States in the areas of public health and safety, substance use disorder, and the criminal justice system. Every other month, LAPPA updates readers on news they may have missed....

Each issue of Case Law Monitor highlights unique cases from around the United States in the areas of public health and safety, substance use disorder, and the criminal justice system. Every other month, LAPPA updates readers on cases that are important to the field....