This week, the EJB Talks podcast featured a discussion between Dean Stuart Shapiro of the Bloustein School and Zoe Lindenfeld, an assistant professor specializing in health administration. Lindenfeld's research focuses on substance use disorders, with particular emphasis on the opioid crisis and its connections to healthcare access and policy.
Lindenfeld explained her interest in studying substance use disorders began as the opioid epidemic was declared a public health emergency by the U.S. government in 2017. "The increase in deaths due to opioid overdoses started way back in the 90s," she noted, emphasizing how this issue originated within healthcare systems due to overprescribing opioid-based medications like oxycodone and Oxycontin.
A key theme across Lindenfeld's work is addressing gaps in access to treatment, especially through telemedicine. During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine emerged as a critical tool for maintaining access to medical care despite clinic closures and social distancing measures. She highlighted new flexibilities allowed under the Ryan Haight Act that permitted remote evaluations for medication prescriptions related to opioid use disorder.
Discussing her recent study on fiscal determinants of overdose deaths, Lindenfeld revealed that higher police spending correlated with increased overdose deaths, particularly when linked to revenue-generating practices such as fines and forfeitures. "It's a certain type of policing, particularly policing linked to extractive revenue strategies," she explained.
In contrast, Lindenfeld found no significant association between health spending and overdose deaths, which she attributed partly to data limitations regarding specific allocations toward addressing overdoses. The ongoing distribution of funds from national settlement agreements with opioid distributors presents an opportunity for further research into this area.
Connecting her research to teaching health administration, Lindenfeld emphasized that healthcare organizations are part of broader communities affected by local government decisions. She stressed the importance of understanding these dynamics within healthcare systems' operations and their impact on community health needs assessments mandated by the Affordable Care Act.
Shapiro concluded by thanking Lindenfeld for sharing her insights on the podcast.
