Montana’s Plan To Curb Opioid Overdoses Includes Vending Machines

KFF Health News Original

Details about where the machines would go — and how they would help those most at risk — are sparse. The state has proposed using them to distribute naloxone and fentanyl testing strips.

El plan de Montana para frenar las sobredosis de opioides incluye máquinas expendedoras

KFF Health News Original

En todo Estados Unidos, las máquinas expendedoras que distribuyen naloxona y otros suministros de salud de forma gratuita se están convirtiendo en elementos de primera línea en la lucha contra las sobredosis de opioides. Diferentes versiones del modelo se están probando en al menos 33 estados.

Colorado Poultry Workers Battle Bird Flu in Heat Wave as US Struggles to Contain Outbreak

KFF Health News Original

So far, all 10 cases reported nationally this year at dairy and poultry farms have been mild, consisting of respiratory symptoms and eye irritation. Scientists have warned that the virus could mutate to spread from person to person, like the seasonal flu, and spark a pandemic.

Colorado expulsó a beneficiarios de Medicaid como si fuera un estado republicano

KFF Health News Original

Es el único estado demócrata entre un grupo de estados republicanos con altas tasas de desafiliación, que incluye a Idaho, Montana, Texas y Utah, en un proceso de Medicaid que comenzó en la primavera de 2023.

Idaho’s OB-GYN Exodus Throws Women in Rural Towns Into a Care Void

KFF Health News Original

Idaho’s law criminalizing abortion drove a high-profile exodus of OB-GYNs from the state more than a year ago. Now, two years after the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back abortion protections enshrined by Roe v. Wade, patients in rural Idaho are forced to leave their community for gynecological care.

Supreme Court OKs Local Crackdowns on Homelessness, as Advocates Warn of Chaos

KFF Health News Original

In a momentous 6-3 decision that could affect communities across the nation, the U.S. Supreme Court gave local officials and law enforcement more authority to fine and penalize homeless people living outside. Advocates for homeless people predict the ruling will lead to more sickness and death.

Battleground Wisconsin: Voters Feel Nickel-and-Dimed by Health Care Costs

KFF Health News Original

In the swing state of Wisconsin, the cost and availability of health care have emerged as key issues. Voters there say prescriptions, procedures, and health insurance policies are too expensive, and must be addressed by the next president, whether Republican or Democrat.

Closing of Rural Hospitals Leaves Towns With Unhealthy Real Estate

KFF Health News Original

Dozens of small cities and towns across the United States struggle not just with health care access and the loss of jobs, but also with the burden of what to do with big, empty buildings.

Therapists Learn How To Help Farmers Cope With Stress Before It’s Too Late

KFF Health News Original

Many farmers have traditionally handled their own problems, whether it’s a busted tractor or debilitating anxiety. “With the older generation, it’s still, ‘Suck it up and get over it,’” says an Iowa mental health advocate and farmer.

Indiana Weighs Hospital Monopoly as Officials Elsewhere Scrutinize Similar Deals

KFF Health News Original

If Indiana officials approve a proposed hospital merger in western Indiana in the coming months, the state will have its first hospital monopoly created by a “Certificate of Public Advantage.” Other such deals have resulted in government reports documenting diminished care in Tennessee and North Carolina.

Funding Instability Plagues Program That Brings Docs to Underserved Areas

KFF Health News Original

A medical residency program designed to train future primary care physicians in outpatient rather than hospital settings has proved an effective means to bring doctors to rural and underserved areas. But it hinges on unpredictable congressional funding.

End of Internet Subsidy Leaves Millions Facing Telehealth Disconnect

KFF Health News Original

When the clock struck midnight on May 31, more than 23 million low-income households were dropped from a federal internet subsidy program that for years had helped them get connected. The Affordable Connectivity Program was created in 2021, in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, to help people plug into jobs, schools and health care by reducing their internet […]

Bird Flu Tests Are Hard To Get. So How Will We Know When To Sound the Pandemic Alarm?

KFF Health News Original

If widely used, flu tests could be helpful now. In the meantime, the government needs to clear a path for H5N1 tests, researchers warn, to avoid the early missteps of the covid pandemic.

Las pruebas para la gripe aviar son difíciles de conseguir. ¿Cómo saber si estamos en una pandemia?

KFF Health News Original

Muchos laboratorios de diagnóstico están capacitados para detectar el virus. Sin embargo, la burocracia, los problemas de facturación y la falta de inversión no permiten aumentar rápidamente la disponibilidad generalizada de pruebas.

Leyes que protegen a trabajadores de California del calor extremo ayudarían a estudiantes

KFF Health News Original

Estas mismas normas se extenderán a las escuelas, donde profesores, conserjes, quienes atienden las cafeterías y otros empleados suelen trabajar sin aire acondicionado, igual que sus alumnos.

Heat Rules for California Workers Would Also Help Keep Schoolchildren Cool

KFF Health News Original

Proposed state standards to protect indoor workers from extreme heat would extend to schools. The rules come as climate change is bringing more frequent and intense heat waves, causing schools nationwide to cancel instruction.