Patients With Mental Disorders Get Half Of All Opioid Prescriptions
A study finds that nearly 19 percent of people with mental illnesses use prescription drugs, while only 5 percent of other people do.
Public Health
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All Kids Should Be Screened for Obesity
An expert panel renews its guidelines that children and teens be screened for obesity at doctors’ offices and advised to receive treatment.
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A Clinic Mix-Up Leaves Pregnant Woman In Dark About Zika Risk
A Washington state woman didn’t find out for months that she was likely infected with the virus that can cause serious birth defects. Clinic officials say they’ll do better.
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A ‘Safe’ Space To Shoot Up: Worth A Try?
A bill pending in the state legislature could make the Golden State the first in the U.S. to open establishments where intravenous drug users can shoot up under medical supervision. Proponents say that would save lives.
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Lead Detected In 20% Of Baby Food Samples, Surprising Even Researchers
An analysis by the Environmental Defense Fund found lead more commonly in baby food than in other food. Lead was often present in fruit juice, though the research did not measure the level of contamination.
By Lydia Zuraw -
Long Waits And Long Odds For Those Who Need Social Security Disability
The U.S. government has been struggling to balance a surge in applicants for disability benefits with shrinking funds. An updated application process could make getting benefits even harder.
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Widow Unleashes Court Fight Against Scope Maker Olympus Over Superbug Outbreak
The Seattle case, the first to reach trial in the U.S., offers possible glimpse into fate of some two dozen lawsuits against manufacturing giant Olympus, accused of failing to address scope contamination linked to numerous deaths. The company faults poor hospital cleaning practices.
By Chad Terhune and JoNel Aleccia -
Unable To Arrest Opioid Epidemic, Red States Warm To Needle Exchanges
The North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition has advanced a local shift from a tough-on-drugs approach to harm-reduction philosophy. Other red states signal they may follow suit.
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Repeal & Replace Watch
People In Recovery Worry GOP Medicaid Cuts Would Put Treatment Out Of Reach
In Pennsylvania alone, 124,000 people received drug or alcohol addiction treatment through Medicaid. Republicans in Congress want to cut Medicaid by as much as $800 billion over the next decade, leaving people in recovery wondering what will happen to their treatment.
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Zika In America: One Mother’s Saga
So far, 72 affected babies have been born in the continental U.S. One young mother, infected in Mexico last year, and her infant face an uncertain future in rural Washington.
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In Texas, Abstinence-Only Programs May Contribute To Teen Pregnancies
Across the U.S., the number of teenagers having babies has hit a record low — it’s down to about 1 out of every 45 young women. That trend hasn’t extended to certain parts of Texas, however, where the teen birth rate is still nearly twice the national average.
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Medical Responses To Opioid Addiction Vary By State, Analysis Finds
The study also found that the largest percentage of medical coverage claims related to opioid abuse and dependence nationally come from older patients — those ages 51 to 60.
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California’s Aid-In-Dying Law Turns 1, But Not All Doctors Have Adopted It
At least 500 terminally ill Californians have asked for the medicine that allows them to end their lives, and nearly 500 health organizations have signed on to help.
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Quantity Over Quality? Minorities Shown To Get An Excess Of Ineffective Care
The researchers looked at 11 services that medical groups have said are often unnecessary and found that Hispanics and blacks got them at higher rates than whites.
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Recovery On The Reservation: Montana Sisters Help Peers Stop Using Drugs
A grass-roots effort to corral Montana's meth crisis hinges on the idea that people who are successful in conquering addiction are uniquely qualified to coach others.
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Hospitals Now Tap Lawyers To Fulfill Patients’ Legal Needs
About 300 health care systems around the country have set up medical-legal partnerships to help patients who are dealing with legal problems that affect their health.
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Cuts In Federal Housing Help Would Hurt People’s Health, Research Suggests
A study in Health Affairs shows that people who receive federal housing vouchers and other forms of public housing assistance are more likely to have health insurance and get regular medical care.
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Many COPD Patients Struggle To Pay For Each Medicinal Breath
One in 9 Medicare enrollees have COPD and many of them can’t afford the inhalers that keep them out of the emergency room.
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As Government-Funded Cancer Research Sags, Scientists Fear U.S. Is ‘Losing Its Edge’
More of the research studies being presented at the world’s largest annual gathering of cancer scientists comes from abroad.
By Liz Szabo -
Handshake-Free Zone: Keep Those Hands — And Germs — To Yourself In The Hospital
Health care workers and families are trying new ways of greeting people in two neonatal intensive care units at UCLA, hoping to reduce infections and protect fragile babies.
By Anna Gorman