A bill backed by Democrats to control prescription drug prices passed the House Thursday on a near party-line vote. Illinois Congressman Rodney Davis joined the majority of his fellow Republicans in opposing it. Meanwhile, Democratic challenger Betsy Dirksen Londrigan says she would have voted for it.
Kate Rosenberg-Douglas has been managing her chronic back pain with prescription opioids for about a decade. Now she’s written an op-ed about her experience relying on opioids for pain while they’re being condemned for causing addiction. Plus, Nafissa Thompson-Spires is the author behind the novel Heads of the Colored People. Her short story collection showcases black life in a way not often written about.
Doctors move fast in the ER. Every second counts. That’s why Dr. Gina Huhnke is excited about a new way to quickly check her patients’ history with narcotics. She’s the emergency department director of Deaconess Midtown Hospital in Evansville.
On the 21st: We discussed the new voter registration legislation signed by the governor. Plus, we got a preview of an upcoming public hate crime forum at Bradley University and talked to a Chicago Tribune reporter whose investigation into the dangers of combining prescription drugs has led to new pharmacy regulations in Illinois.
Last week, we introduced you to Jaime Smith, a mother of four from St. Joseph who is recovering from addiction to prescription pain killers and heroin. Recovery from opioid addiction is a difficult journey, but it’s sometimes even more difficult to begin.
