The Unequal Weight of a Drug Test 

(WIB) – When a teenager arrives at a trauma center after a car crash or sports-related injury, the immediate priority is to save their life. The doctors stabilize them, run tests, and prepare a treatment plan. But somewhere in the flurry of activity, a decision is made — one that has less to do with their medical condition, and more to do with who they are. New research shows Black, American Indian, Hispanic, uninsured, and female adolescents are more likely to be screened for drug and alcohol use at pediatric trauma centers across the country than their white peers.With drug overdoses being the third leading cause of death in adolescents in 2022 surpassing car accidents and gun violence, some say the disproportionate screening of minority youths isn’t necessarily the problem. Trauma center staff might decide to do a blood screen of a teen because they need to make sure any medications they administer don’t conflict with drugs or alcohol. No patient consent is needed. And there are no specific guidelines providers are required to follow when deciding whether to screen adolescent trauma patients. Health care providers who decide to screen a pediatric patient for substance and alcohol use, take blood...