Binge drinking and marijuana use among adults ages 35 to 50 have hit record highs, according to research from the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future panel, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from Georgia, Michigan, and Oregon.

• Georgia: CDC's program to get the underinsured and uninsured vaccinated with the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines will not be ready in pharmacies once vaccines hit the market in September, the agency confirmed. According to CDC spokesperson Kathleen Conley, the government is still finalizing contracts with pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens in order to distribute the vaccines for free. Conley said CDC expects the contracts will likely be finished around mid-October. (Cohen, Roll Call, 8/17; Cancryn/Lim, Politico, 8/17)
• Michigan: Binge drinking and marijuana use among adults ages 35 to 50 have hit record highs, according to research from the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future panel. The survey of approximately 28,500 participants found that almost 30% of people ages 35 to 50 reported binge drinking in 2022, up from 23% in 2012. Meanwhile, 28% reported using marijuana, up from 13% in 2012, and 4% of adults reported using a hallucinogen, double the rate from 2021. "Substance use is not limited to teens and young adults, and these data help us understand how people use drugs across the lifespan," said Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. (Richtel, New York Times, 8/17; Nguyen, USA Today, 8/18)
• Oregon: In a bill signed Tuesday by Gov. Tina Kotek (D), Oregon has now become the fourth state to require certain nurse-to-patient ratios at hospitals. Hospitals in the state will have until Sept. 1 to comply with the ratios, and beginning in June 2025, the Oregon Health Authority will start enforcing other minimum staffing requirements for nurses that will vary by unit and patient acuity. "This law lays the foundation that we can build from so we are getting to that point where nurses are being fulfilled in their workplace," said Matt Calzia, director of nursing practice and professional development at the Oregon Nurse Association. "We want to provide really high quality care, the care that we've been educated to provide." (Deveraux, Modern Healthcare, 8/17)