Latest KFF Health News Stories
Ketamine Therapy for Mental Health a ‘Wild West’ for Doctors and Patients
Ketamine, approved by the FDA as an anesthetic in 1970, is emerging as a major alternative mental health treatment, and there are now more than 500 ketamine clinics around the country. But with little regulation and widely varying treatment protocols, it’s a medical “wild West.”
Native American Communities Have the Highest Suicide Rates, Yet Interventions Are Scarce
Native Americans die by suicide at a higher rate than any other racial or ethnic group, yet research into effective and culturally appropriate interventions is uncommon.
Una decisión difícil: cuando los adultos mayores tienen que dejar de conducir
Los riesgos para los conductores mayores aumentan con la edad y el desarrollo de afecciones como la artritis, el glaucoma y el Parkinson. Y cuando ocurren accidentes, son más propensos a sufrir heridas graves o morir porque son físicamente más vulnerables.
Estados utilizan dinero de Medicaid para combatir la violencia con armas de fuego
Una inyección de financiamiento federal confiable podría permitir que organizaciones sin fines de lucro amplíen su alcance para llegar a más residentes con mayor riesgo de ser víctimas de disparos, o de disparar a alguien.
Preparing to Hang Up the Car Keys as We Age
As cognitive skills erode with age, driving skills weaken, but an aging driver may not recognize that. Advance directives on driving are one way to handle this challenge.
In Los Angeles, Occupational Therapists Tapped to Help Homeless Stay Housed
Los Angeles County is deploying a small team of occupational therapists to help newly housed individuals adjust to life indoors. Therapists are trained to recognize disabilities and help with basic living skills, such as hygiene and cleanliness, that can help prevent clients from getting evicted or slipping back onto the streets.
988-Hotline Counselors Air Concerns: More Training Needed to Juggle a Mix of Calls
Dozens of crisis counselors responded to a survey about their work experiences, painting a picture of uneven training, uncertainty about how long to stay on the line, and different policies on whether to inform a caller when police are on their way.
Rising Suicide Rate Among Hispanics Worries Community Leaders
The suicide rate for Hispanics in the United States has increased significantly over the past decade. The reasons are varied, say community leaders and mental health experts, citing factors such as language barriers, poverty, and a lack of bilingual mental health professionals.
Líderes comunitarios alarmados por el aumento de la tasa de suicidios en hispanos
Incluso niños hispanos en edad escolar han intentado hacerse daño o han expresado pensamientos suicidas, indican investigaciones.
Escuelas ignoran normas federales sobre restricción y aislamiento de estudiantes
La ley federal exige que los distritos escolares informen al Departamento de Educación de Estados Unidos cada vez que aíslan o restringen físicamente a un estudiante.
‘I’m Not Safe Here’: Schools Ignore Federal Rules on Restraint and Seclusion
Federal officials have long warned that restraint and seclusion in schools can be dangerous and traumatizing for children, but school districts often fail to report incidents as required by law.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': All About the (Government) Funding
With days to go until a large chunk of the federal government runs out of money needed to keep it operating, Congress is still struggling to find a compromise spending plan. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court agreed to hear — this year — a case that pits federal requirements for emergency treatment against state abortion bans. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Tami Luhby of CNN join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews American Medical Association President Jesse Ehrenfeld about the choppy waters facing the nation’s physicians in 2024.
Rising Malpractice Premiums Price Small Clinics Out of Gender-Affirming Care for Minors
Even in states where laws protect minors’ access to gender-affirming care, malpractice insurance premiums are keeping small and independent clinics from treating patients.
States Begin Tapping Medicaid Dollars to Combat Gun Violence
The Biden administration is allowing states to use money from the insurance program for low-income and disabled residents to pay for gun violence prevention. California and six other states have approved such spending, with more expected to follow.
Los médicos son tan vulnerables a la adicción como cualquier persona
El alcohol es una droga muy común entre los médicos, pero su fácil acceso a los analgésicos es también un riesgo particular.
Doctors Are as Vulnerable to Addiction as Anyone. California Grapples With a Response.
The Medical Board of California, which licenses MDs, is developing a program to evaluate, treat, and monitor doctors with alcohol and drug problems. But there is sharp disagreement over whether those who might volunteer for the program should be subject to public disclosure and over how much participants should pay.
Pacientes con narcolepsia enfrentan una doble pesadilla: escasez de medicamentos y estigma
Se estima que una de cada 2,000 personas en los Estados Unidos vive con narcolepsia (más de 160,000 en todo el país).
Patients With Narcolepsy Face a Dual Nightmare of Medication Shortages and Stigma
It’s been more than a year since the FDA declared a national shortage of Adderall, and it’s affecting more than just patients with ADHD. Those with narcolepsy, a much rarer condition, are often treated with the same medication. Without it, they’re often unable to drive or function as usual.
Mental Health Courts Can Struggle to Fulfill Decades-Old Promise
Mental health courts have been touted as a means to help reduce the flow of people with mental illness into jails and prisons. But the specialized diversion programs can struggle to live up to that promise, and some say they’re a bad investment.
As Foundation for ‘Excited Delirium’ Diagnosis Cracks, Fallout Spreads
Major policy changes and disavowals have made this a watershed year for curbing the use of the discredited “excited delirium” diagnosis to explain deaths in police custody. Now the ripple effects are spreading across the country into court cases, state legislation, and police training classes.
