Trending News Today: Opioid Overdose Crisis in Ohio

California’s newly proposed tobacco tax, Proposition 56, will provide extra funding for the state’s Medicaid program. The proposition would increase cigarette tax by $2, and tax e-cigarettes in hopes of preventing young adults from smoking and lower tobacco-related healthcare spending, according to Kaiser Health News. While it is estimated that up to $1 billion per year would go to Medi-Cal, the proposition does not say how much money will go to other healthcare services and providers.

Cases of medical record mix-ups are becoming more common due to the complexities of healthcare, a recent study found. However, in the study, 91% of mix-ups were caught before patient harm occurred. Healthcare professionals are now running more lab and imaging tests, doing more procedures, and there are more transitions through the system, according to The Wall Street Journal.

This past Sunday alone, there were 7 overdose-related deaths in Cleveland, Ohio. While officials are still working to determine the cause of the overdoses, they suspect heroin or fentanyl was involved, and are advising individuals to steer clear of illicit drugs, according to The New York Times. In August, there were 52 opioid-related deaths in that area, the most in the county’s history.