Dec 28 Art is a lifeline for this Appalachian community hit hard by opioids By Laura Santhanam This music workshop helps to keep two things alive -- the region’s arts and culture and residents' ability to recover from addiction. Continue reading
Dec 28 Trump administration targets Obama's clean-up of mercury pollution By Ellen Knickmeyer, Associated Press The EPA proposal says the benefits to human health and the environment created by an Obama-era regulation -- credited with helping dramatically reduce toxic mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants -- may not be worth the cost of the regulation. Continue reading
Dec 27 How the global market for legal marijuana exploded in 2018 By Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press Liberal California became the largest legal U.S. marketplace, conservative Utah and Oklahoma embraced medical marijuana, and the U.S. East Coast got its first commercial pot shops. Continue reading
Dec 26 These surprising health stories shaped 2018 By Laura Santhanam Gun violence, prolonged mental trauma for children and the ongoing opioid crisis were just a few of the major health stories that captured national attention this year. Continue reading
Dec 20 Trump administration wants to tighten work requirements for food stamps By Juliet Linderman, Associated Press The move comes just weeks after lawmakers passed a $400 billion farm bill that reauthorized agriculture and conservation programs while leaving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which serves roughly 40 million Americans, virtually untouched. Continue reading
Dec 19 Affordable Care Act sign-ups beat forecast in unpredictable season By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press The Obama health care law has yet again beaten predictions of its downfall, as government figures released Wednesday showed unexpectedly solid sign-ups for health coverage next year. Continue reading
Dec 18 Watch 5:05 Diphtheria takes a deadly stranglehold on war-torn Yemen By Beth Murphy Yemen is already suffering from a devastating civil war and widespread hunger. Now, circumstances caused by the conflict have also paved the way for diphtheria to thrive. The airborne disease kills 1 of every 10 patients even with medical treatment--and… Continue watching
Dec 17 Watch 7:30 Responding to Ebola in Congo is hard work, but made that much harder by violence Ebola has been reported in a number of locations in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, making the current outbreak the second worst in history. Getting medical care to the sick is complicated by ongoing violence. Nancy Aossey of International… Continue watching
Dec 17 Watch 8:52 Why helicopter parenting may jeopardize kids' health By William Brangham, Jason Kane Has protective parenting gone too far? Several high-profile news stories, along with increasing rates of childhood obesity, anxiety and depression, have sparked a movement encouraging parents to allow their children greater freedom. The nonprofit Let Grow is leading the call… Continue watching
Dec 17 Watch 5:43 Why invalidating the ACA could cause 'enormous disruption' to American health care The day before this year's deadline to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, a judge in Texas ruled the law unconstitutional. As the case makes its way through the appeals process, Amna Nawaz sits down with… Continue watching