美国国家公共电台 NPR Amid Opioid Prescriber Crackdown, Health Officials Reach Out To Pain Patients

 

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

This week, indictments¹ were announced for dozens of medical professionals across Appalachia for their involvement in illegally prescribing opioids. But patients can't just stop taking high-powered narcotics³, even if the drugs are being abused. So public health workers joined the crackdown, looking out for desperate patients. Blake Farmer of member station WPLN in Nashville reports.

BLAKE FARMER, BYLINE⁴: A pharmacist in Celina, Tenn., on the mountainous state line with Kentucky, was 1 of the 60 indicted⁵. He was charged with 21 counts of filling medically unnecessary narcotic² prescriptions⁷. He was also Gail Gray's pharmacist.

GAIL GRAY: If I take pain medicine first thing in the morning, I usually am up most of the night with pain. I hurt all the time.

FARMER: Gray says her chronic⁸ back pain from a degenerative disc disease is totally incapacitating without medication. But with her druggist shut down, her prescriptions are tainted⁹. She tried to fill it with the other pharmacy¹⁰ in town.

GRAY: They wouldn't take me because I was red-flagged on my dose and yellow-flagged on my doctors.

FARMER: Amidst the crackdown on overprescribing doctors, the U.S. Justice Department has been increasingly concerned for patients like Gray. They're also worried about the impact on those abusing prescription⁶ drugs. So Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski says this week's enforcement was coordinated¹¹ with health agencies and addiction¹² treatment providers.

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BRIAN BENCZKOWSKI: That plan is designed to ensure that affected¹³ patients have continued access to care and are at the same time directed to legitimate¹⁴ medical professionals in the area.

MARIE WILLIAMS: This is the first time that we have had this type of heads-up.

FARMER: Marie Williams runs Tennessee's substance abuse department. She says, in previous stings, her people have gotten maybe one day to prepare. Williams says she hopes many will see the loss of their opioid supplier as a turning point.

WILLIAMS: This is an opportunity to really change your life and get to be the person that you want to be.

FARMER: The department began plastering messages online just as the indictments were unsealed, giving patients a hotline to call. Overdose prevention specialists have been deployed¹⁵ to train patients on how to use reversal drugs.

Suzanne Angel is an outreach nurse in the small town of Carthage, Tenn., where a doctor's practice was shuttered Wednesday as part of the federal takedown. She's been warning the local hospital and emergency responders to be on alert for desperate behavior from people.

SUZANNE ANGEL: I'm sure that they feel depression, despair, you know, anger and fear about, who's going to take care of me, and is there going to be any support? And I don't want them to feel alone.

FARMER: Angel says there are now more alternatives to opioids, and it's possible they could find another pain clinic. But the current legal focus on opioids has made it much harder to get high-dose prescriptions. And among the thousands of patients getting their medication through questionable¹⁶ providers, many have very legitimate needs. Here's Gail Gray again.

GRAY: I've tried therapies. I've tried injections. I've tried several different things. We didn't just start off taking opiates.

FARMER: Gray found a new pharmacy, though it means driving to the next county over. Gray says she feels like it won't be long before she's shopping for help again.

GRAY: We're being punished for people that do abuse drugs. Chronic pain patients are being punished for it.

FARMER: Health officials say they're most worried about those who can't find another option, run out of their medication and begin to withdraw, making them more likely to take a risk on deadly street drugs. For NPR News, I'm Blake Farmer in Nashville.

1 indictments   

n.（制度、社会等的）衰败迹象( indictment的名词复数 )；刑事起诉书；公诉书；控告

参考例句：

• A New York jury brought criminal indictments against the founder of the organization. 纽约的一个陪审团对这个组织的创始人提起了多项刑事诉讼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These two indictments are self-evident and require no elaboration. 这两条意义自明，无须多说。 来自互联网

2 narcotic   

n.麻醉药，镇静剂；adj.麻醉的，催眠的

参考例句：

• Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。
• No medical worker is allowed to prescribe any narcotic drug for herself.医务人员不得为自己开处方使用麻醉药品。

3 narcotics   

n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒

参考例句：

• The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部，寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

6 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

7 prescriptions   

药( prescription的名词复数 )； 处方； 开处方； 计划

参考例句：

• The hospital of traditional Chinese medicine installed a computer to fill prescriptions. 中医医院装上了电子计算机来抓药。
• Her main job was filling the doctor's prescriptions. 她的主要工作就是给大夫开的药方配药。

8 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

9 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 pharmacy   

n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品

参考例句：

• She works at the pharmacy.她在药房工作。
• Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness.现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。

11 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

12 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

13 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

14 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

15 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

16 questionable   

adj.可疑的，有问题的

参考例句：

• There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
• Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。