Has Your Doctor Asked You About Climate Change?
Some physicians say connecting the consequences of climate change — heat waves, more pollen and longer allergy seasons — to health helps them better care for patients.
Pain Meds As Public Nuisance? Oklahoma Tests A Legal Strategy Against Opioid Maker
Oklahoma is seeking $17 billion in damages from Johnson & Johnson, the pharmaceutical giant. After a seven-week trial, a judge will decide if the opioid drugmaker is liable and if so, for how much.
Listen: Young Undocumented Californians Cheer Promise Of Health Benefits
California is the first in the nation to expand Medicaid to young adults living there without legal permission.
Medicare Going In ‘Right Direction’ On Opioid Epidemic
A new report by the inspector general for HHS shows prescriptions to treat opioid addiction are way up in recent years, while prescriptions for the painkillers have fallen.
Newly Blue Maine Expands Access To Abortion
After a wave of Democratic women were elected in 2018, Maine joins the handful of states that are shoring up the right to an abortion ahead of expected Supreme Court challenges.
Florida Is The Latest Republican-Led State To Adopt Clean Needle Exchanges
Florida has struggled for years with opioid overdoses — and the highest rate of HIV infection in the U.S. Lawmakers now hope needle exchanges and a “harm reduction” approach could help save lives.
San Francisco To Ban Sales Of E-Cigarettes
The nation’s biggest producer of e-cigarettes is based in San Francisco, yet the city is on the verge of banning sales of the devices.
Meth In The Morning, Heroin At Night: Inside The Seesaw Struggle of Dual Addiction
Many users now mix opioids with stimulants like meth and cocaine — and researchers believe opioids kicked off this new stimulant wave.
Legal Weed’s A Growing Danger To Dogs, So Keep Your Canine Out Of Your Cannabis
As more states legalize recreational and medical marijuana, dogs are accidentally ingesting the drug and becoming highly intoxicated.
Texas Is Latest State To Attack Surprise Medical Bills
A new state law says hospitals and insurers will have to work it out among themselves when they can’t agree on a price — instead of sending huge bills to patients. “Bill of the Month” patient Drew Calver galvanized attention on the issue after he told his story to KHN, NPR and “CBS This Morning.”
Mini-Biographies Help Clinicians Connect With Patients
Some Veterans Affairs hospitals around the country use writers to record patients’ life stories, then place a short biography in each vet’s medical record. The My Life, My Story program gives clinicians another way to get to know their patients.
Oklahoma’s ‘Precedent-Setting’ Suit Puts Opioid Drugmakers On Trial
As states struggle to respond to the national drug crisis, officials around the country are watching Oklahoma. The state’s attorney general says opioid drugmakers helped ignite a health crisis that has killed thousands of residents.
Escalating Workplace Violence Rocks Hospitals
Incidents of serious workplace violence are four times more common in health care than in private industry, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Listen: After Its Hospital Closes, A Pioneer Kansas Town Searches For What Comes Next
Deep questions underlie what is happening in Fort Scott, Kan.: Do small communities like this one need a traditional hospital at all? And, if not, what health care do they need?
Addiction Medicine Mostly Prescribed To Whites, Even As Opioid Deaths Rose Among Blacks
A study looked at who gets Suboxone prescriptions and found that whites are almost 35 times more likely to get the addiction treatment than African Americans.
Effects Of Surgery On A Warming Planet: Can Anesthesia Go Green?
Two of the most commonly used anesthesia gases are similar medically but worlds apart when it comes to their impact on the planet.
Meth Vs. Opioids: America Has Two Drug Epidemics, But Focuses On One
In the West and Midwest, 70% of local law enforcement says meth is the bigger threat. It’s also a more difficult addiction to treat.
Amid Opioid Prescriber Crackdown, Health Officials Reach Out To Pain Patients
After dozens of health care workers were charged with illegally prescribing opioids in Appalachia, local health agencies are trying to make sure chronic pain patients don’t fall through the cracks.
Aspiring Doctors Seek Advanced Training In Addiction Medicine
Once a tiny specialty that drew mostly psychiatrists, addiction medicine is expanding its accredited training to include primary care residents and “social justice warriors” who see it as a calling.
Fentanyl-Linked Deaths: The U.S. Opioid Epidemic’s Third Wave
Overdose deaths involving fentanyl are soaring, says a new study from the CDC.
