Substance abuse

Help a Physician in Need With a Referral to The Physicians Benevolent Fund - 06/07/2022

It’s often said that talk is cheap. In the case of The Physicians Benevolent Fund (PBF), the payoff for a little talk could be huge for a colleague or friend in need. By sharing information about PBF or by referring someone to the Texas Medical Association, you could give a friend or colleague a much-needed hand up.

State Launches $23 Million Substance Use Disorder Prevention Effort - 03/15/2022

Federal data estimate that during 2020, more than 11 million Texans were living with substance use disorder. A new $23 million public awareness campaign from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission is aiming to keep that number from growing.

Cancer Incidence Among Texas Publicly Funded Substance Abuse Treatment Clients - 10/08/2018

In this study, the authors examine the incidence of cancer among a large cohort of patients receiving Texas Department of State Health Services publicly funded substance abuse treatment services between 2005 and 2009. We hypothesized that substance abuse patients would have an increased incidence of cancer, especially cancers associated with alcohol misuse, tobacco use, and opiate dependence. We compared cancer incidence among 119,237 substance abuse patients with those in the Texas general population as reported to the Texas Cancer Registry. The cohort was 60% male; and 50% white, 30% Hispanic, and 20% black. Mean age at the start of follow-up was 47.6 years (SD, 10.5 years), with mean follow-up time of 2.4 years (SD, 1.5 years). Primary drug dependency was 30% alcohol; 25% cocaine; 15% opiate; 13% amphetamine or methamphetamine; and 17% marijuana or other drugs. Almost 75% of the patients used tobacco regularly. The overall age-adjusted incidence rate was lower for substance abusers ...

Top Physician Experts to Convene First-Ever Maternal Health Congress to Address Maternal Deaths Crisis - 03/20/2018

More than 70 top obstetrician-gynecologists, family physicians, and other physicians and health experts from across Texas will convene the state’s first-ever Texas Medical Association (TMA) Maternal Health Congress in Austin on Saturday. Their goal is to address the alarming rate of women dying after childbirth and seek solutions to the complex issue.

Facing More Hoops - 10/27/2017

Opioid abuse has killed tens of thousands of Americans in recent years, prompting health plans to adjust their prescription drug policies, including changing formularies and prior-authorization processes.