Apr 17 Dozens of medical professionals charged in illegal prescription opioid crackdown By Dan Sewell, Associated Press It's what federal authorities are calling the biggest known takedown yet of drug prescribers, which includes 31 doctors charged for their roles in illegally prescribing and distributing millions of pills containing opioids and other dangerous drugs. Continue reading
Apr 17 Column: Will I be penalized for not getting Medicare at 65? It depends By Philip Moeller If you are employed and have employer group health insurance, you did not need to get Medicare when you turned 65, columnist Phil Moeller explains. Continue reading
Apr 17 Officials announce new measures to fight New York measles outbreak By Karen Matthews, Associated Press Officials trying to contain a measles outbreak in a county north of New York City on Tuesday ordered all unvaccinated people exposed to the disease barred from public gathering places, including houses of worship, for up to three weeks. Continue reading
Apr 17 Southern states slowly embracing harm reduction to curb opioid epidemic By Max Blau, Stateline In the Bible Belt, many Southerners who held conservative views often criticized harm reduction as something that encouraged — not ended — the use of drugs. But attitudes have shifted. Continue reading
Apr 16 Watch 5:51 How drones are delivering lifesaving medical supplies in Rwanda By Fred de Sam Lazaro, Sarah Clune Hartman Getting medical supplies to where they are needed fast can mean the difference between life and death outcomes, but moving them efficiently across long distances to remote and rural areas can be difficult for traditional transportation. Special correspondent Fred de… Continue watching
Apr 16 U.S. halts sales of pelvic mesh tied to injuries in women By Matthew Perrone, Associated Press The Food and Drug Administration ordered the two remaining makers of the mesh to stop selling it immediately, saying the companies failed to show the mesh is safe for long-term use. The FDA action does not apply to surgical mesh… Continue reading
Apr 16 Tobacco companies pay billions to compensate for smoking-related illness. Is it enough? By Charles Betley, The Conversation April 15 is Tax Day, as well as the date each year on which the largest tobacco companies pay $9 billion dollars to states because of tobacco-related illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. But what is the real cost… Continue reading
Apr 15 U.S. measles count up to 555, with most new cases in New York By Mike Stobbe, Associated Press Cases have surged again, and are on pace to set a record for most illnesses in 25 years. Continue reading
Apr 14 Watch 3:27 Small but mighty miniature horses offer therapy and hope By Nick Blumberg, WTTW From dogs and rabbits, to guinea pigs and even birds, pet therapy animals come in all shapes and sizes. But volunteer-based organization Mane in Heaven keeps and trains miniature therapy horses, which they take to schools and hospitals to offer… Continue watching
Apr 12 During measles outbreaks, fines and public bans are legal, but there are limits By Katherine Drabiak, The Conversation A health lawyer explains what states can or cannot legally do when responding to cases of a communicable disease like measles. Continue reading