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A Long And Winding Road: Kicking Heroin In An Opioid ‘Treatment Desert’ Â
Heather Menzel thought returning to her rural California hometown was the answer to her addiction problems. Then she discovered the town had no medical treatment options for her — but plenty of heroin.
By Brian Rinker -
Obesity And Depression Are Entwined, Yet Scientists Don’t Know Why
As the link between obesity and depression becomes increasingly clear, so do the challenges of treating these distinct chronic conditions together.
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Lag In Brain Donation Hampers Understanding Of Dementia In Blacks
A long history of racism and cruel experimentation in health care are among the reasons African-American families oppose donating patients’ brains for study.
By Anna Gorman -
Colon Cancer Rates Rising Among Younger White Adults — And Falling Among Blacks
Although deaths from colorectal cancer are declining, researchers find rates of the disease among white men and women younger than 55 have spiked since the mid-1990s.
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South Texas Fights Tuberculosis One Blood Test At A Time
A Medicaid-funded effort in San Antonio seeks to test vulnerable populations for latent TB infections.
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S.C. Taps Private Donors To Expand In-Home Services For At-Risk Moms
The expansion of the Nurse-Family Partnership, financed initially by the federal government and several philanthropies, must meet specific goals to get state contributions. Officials hope to add 3,200 women to the program.
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Health Gap Widens Between Appalachia And Rest Of The U.S.
In the early 1990s, people in this economically depressed region lagged only slightly behind other parts of the country. Today, rates of infant mortality in Appalachia are significantly higher than elsewhere, and the difference in life expectancy has grown noticeably.
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Congress Revamps Housing Program To Benefit Areas Where HIV Is Spreading
The small federal program once based funding on an area’s cumulative number of cases. It will now be more responsive to places where new outbreaks are occurring.
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‘Bureaucratic Ninjas’ Slice Red-Tape To Battle Health Disparities
A person's ZIP code can be as important to her health as her genetic code. One large health system has begun to tackle the social challenges that influence a person's health by asking questions and giving extra help to people in need.
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Florida Law Will Let Patients Get All Their Drug Renewals At The Same Time
The new law will help people with chronic conditions that require multiple prescriptions cut down on their shuttles to the drug store and could improve adherence to their drugs.
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Under Trump, Hospitals Face Same Penalties Embraced By Obama
Federal records show that 2,573 hospitals around the country will have their Medicare payments reduced because they have too many patients readmitted.
By Jordan Rau -
Paid Parental Leave May Be The Idea That Transcends Politics
The Trump administration’s 2018 budget calls for a national paid-leave plan for parents after the birth or adoption of a child. It’s not clear yet whether congressional Republicans will agree.
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Scope Maker Olympus Hit With $6.6 Million Verdict In Superbug Outbreak Case
In the first case of its kind in the U.S., the company was ordered to pay damages to the hospital where a patient died of an infection linked to a contaminated scope. But jurors also found the hospital negligent, and it was ordered to pay the patients' family $1 million.
By Chad Terhune and JoNel Aleccia -
Over-The-Counter Devices Hold Their Own Against Costly Hearing Aids
In a head-to-head comparison, several of the cheaper devices performed nearly as well as the expensive hearing aids. The study lends credence to lawmakers’ efforts to get the FDA to set standards for over-the-counter versions.
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California Valley Fever Cases Highest On Record
Nearly 5,400 cases of the soil-borne fungal disease were reported in 2016, the largest number since the state began tracking the illness in 1995, according to public health officials.
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Opioid Treatment Funds In Senate Bill Would Fall Far Short Of Needs
The $45 billion for opioid treatment in the Senate bill sounds like a lot of money, but an advocate estimates it would provide $1,000 to $2,000 per year for each person in Pennsylvania who might need treatment. Meanwhile, one year of methadone treatment for opioid addiction costs about $4,700 per year,
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Depression Among Heart Attack Survivors Can Be Deadly, Yet Is Often Ignored
One in 5 heart attack patients suffers from severe depression, yet many get little or no treatment that could ease their suffering or save their lives.
By Liz Szabo -
Postcard From Capitol Hill: Lawmakers Put Women’s Health Care In Its Place
Where women prefer to go for health care becomes a proxy for the abortion debate.
By Rachel Bluth -
Latinos Left Out Of Clinical Trials … And Possible Cures
Fewer than 8 percent of enrollees in medical studies are Hispanic. Those who don't participate have less access to cutting-edge treatments, and researchers have less data on how a drug works within the Hispanic population.
By Paula Andalo