2022-09-18 With Polio’s Return, Here’s What Back-to-Schoolers Need to Know Céline Gounder Before polio vaccines became available in the 1950s, people wary of the disabling disease were afraid to allow their children outside, let alone go to school. As polio appears again decades after it was considered eliminated in the U.S., Americans unfamiliar […]
Category: Health News
New Abortion Laws Jeopardize Pregnant Patient Cancer Treatment
2022-09-17 New Abortion Laws Jeopardize Cancer Treatment for Pregnant Patients Charlotte Huff As abortion bans go into effect across a contiguous swath of the South, cancer physicians are wrestling with how new state laws will influence their discussions with pregnant patients about what treatment options they can offer. Cancer coincides with roughly 1 […]
Montana Health Department
2022-09-16 Montana Health Department Seeks to Ax Board That Hears Public Assistance Appeals Matt Volz Montana health officials are asking state lawmakers to eliminate a board that hears appeals from people who believe they were wrongly denied public assistance benefits. Since 2016, the Board of Public Assistance has heard fewer than 20 […]
As State Institutions Close, Families of Longtime Residents Face Agonizing Choices
2022-09-15 As State Institutions Close, Families of Longtime Residents Face Agonizing Choices Tony Leys GLENWOOD, Iowa — Mike Lee’s way of life has faded away in most of the United States, and it soon will vanish from southwestern Iowa. Lee, 57, has spent 44 years at the Glenwood Resource Center, a state-run institution […]
While Inflation Takes a Toll on Seniors, Billions of Dollars in Benefits Go Unused
2022-09-14 While Inflation Takes a Toll on Seniors, Billions of Dollars in Benefits Go Unused Judith Graham Millions of older adults are having trouble making ends meet, especially during these inflationary times. Yet many don’t realize help is available, and some notable programs that offer financial assistance are underused. A few examples: Nearly […]
Uncovering The Genetic Basis of Mental Illness
2022-09-14 Uncovering the genetic basis of mental illness requires data and tools that aren’t just based on white people – this international team is collecting DNA samples around the globe Ethical and equitable scientific collaboration could help increase the genetic diversity of genomic data. gmast3r/iStock via Getty Images Plus Hailiang Huang, Harvard University Mental illness is […]
Children in Northern California Learn to Cope With Wildfire Trauma
2022-09-13 Children in Northern California Learn to Cope With Wildfire Trauma Heidi de Marco, California Healthline SONOMA, Calif. — Maia and Mia Bravo stepped outside their house on a bright summer day and sensed danger. A hint of smoke from burning wood wafted through their dirt-and-grass yard anchored by native trees. Maia, 17, […]
She saw the obesity epidemic coming. Then an unexpected finding mired her in controversy.
2022-09-13 Q&A — Epidemiologist Katherine Flegal She saw the obesity epidemic coming. Then an unexpected finding mired her in controversy. Katherine Flegal was a scientist who found herself crunching numbers for the government, until one day her analyses set off a firestorm. What does she make of her decades as a woman in […]
Patient Satisfaction Surveys Earn a Zero on Tracking Whether Hospitals Deliver Culturally Competent Care
2022-09-12 Patient Satisfaction Surveys Earn a Zero on Tracking Whether Hospitals Deliver Culturally Competent Care Rae Ellen Bichell Each day, thousands of patients get a call or letter after being discharged from U.S. hospitals. How did their stay go? How clean and quiet was the room? How often did nurses and doctors treat […]
When Does Life Begin? As State Laws Define It, Science, Politics, and Religion Clash
2022-09-10 When Does Life Begin? As State Laws Define It, Science, Politics, and Religion Clash Sarah Varney, Kaiser Health News As life-preserving medical technology advanced in the second half of the 20th century, doctors and families were faced with a thorny decision, one with weighty legal and moral implications: How should we define […]