Feb 12 Opioid makers gave $10 million to advocacy groups that promoted use of their pills, report says By Matthew Perrone, Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press The investigation by Missouri's Sen. Claire McCaskill sheds light on the opioid industry's ability to shape public opinion and raises questions about its role in an overdose epidemic that has claimed hundreds of thousands of American lives. Continue reading
Feb 07 5 overlooked politics stories that are worth your time By Saher Khan The 24-hour news cycle is filled with political coverage, but not everything gets the attention it deserves. Here are five politics stories you may have missed in the past week. Continue reading
Dec 23 Watch 24:19 PBS NewsHour Weekend full episode December 23, 2017 By PBS News Hour On this edition for Saturday, Dec. 23, drones help prevent conflicts between farmers and elephants in Tanzania, and a documentary film on how opioids have devastated Somerville, Massachusetts. Also, an investigation into the impact of homeless relocation programs in American… Continue watching
Dec 21 The opioid crisis is driving down U.S. life expectancy, new data shows By Laura Santhanam Life expectancy fell in the United States for a second straight year -- something that hasn't happened since the 1960s. Continue reading
Dec 11 Fentanyl is so potent doctors don’t know how to fight it By Nsikan Akpan Russia once used fentanyl as a biological weapon. Now, illicit use of the lethal opioid is hindering therapy. Continue reading
Dec 04 Deaths during opioid-driven hospital stays have quadrupled By Laura Santhanam The rate of hospitalization among white patients also doubled between 2007 and 2013 -- the “largest and fastest-growing share of hospitalizations” in recent years, according to the study published Monday in the journal Health Affairs. Continue reading
Nov 29 WATCH: Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration unveil new tool to fight opioid crisis By Laura Santhanam The Justice Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration are slated to unveil new tools to combat the nation’s opioid crisis at 11:30 a.m. ET Wednesday. Watch live here. Continue reading
Nov 14 This app tracks drug overdoses in real time By Christine Vestal, Stateline In an opioid overdose epidemic that killed more than 53,000 Americans last year and shows no signs of relenting, nearly every community in the nation is fortifying its public health, emergency medical and law enforcement response. But with limited resources,… Continue reading
Nov 07 Urine screens cost $8.5 billion a year — more than the entire EPA budget By Fred Schulte and Elizabeth Lucas, Kaiser Health News Spending on urine screens and related genetic tests quadrupled from 2011 to 2014 to an estimated $8.5 billion a year — more than the entire budget of the Environmental Protection Agency. The federal government paid providers more to conduct urine… Continue reading
Nov 02 Treating the opioid babies By Dr. Amber Robins A doctor working in the Appalachian foothills watches a town and its newborns on the brink of a public health epidemic. Continue reading