Health & Safety

Health & Safety

The FDA has approved an over-the-counter spray to treat opioid overdose

10:45am March 29, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

In a long anticipated decision, the Food and Drug Administration approved an over-the-counter version of naloxone spray, a generic form of the opioid overdose treatment called Narcan.

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State unveils 'Action Plan' to address youth mental health crisis

9:56am March 29, 2023

by Neal Charnoff

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services teamed up with the state Department of Public Instruction to compose an Action Plan to address what is described as an “urgent” youth mental health and behavioral health crisis. The plan, released on Tuesday, cites a needed investment in the state’s school systems.

Health & Safety

The FDA is considering authorizing a spring COVID-19 booster

9:48am March 29, 2023

by Rob Stein

The Food and Drug Administration appears ready to authorize that some people — such as those with weak immune systems — get yet another booster with one of the newest COVID-19 vaccines.

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In Rancho Cordova, Calif., Diana and Lorrin Burdick host an informal support group lunch at their house for parents of children struggling with severe mental health problems, including schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.

Need help for loved ones with severe mental health illness? California has a plan

5:00am March 29, 2023

by Eric Westervelt

The state is planning "Care Court" pilot programs to help people with severe mental illness. A judge can order a treatment plan that counties must fund. Disability rights groups have sued to stop it.

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A billing mistake by an in-network Florida emergency room landed Sara McLin's then-4-year-old son in collections.

Health & Safety

Pay up, kid? An ER's error sends a 4-year-old to collections

4:20pm March 28, 2023

by Daniel Chang

A Florida woman tried to dispute an emergency room bill, but the hospital and collection agency refused to talk to her — because it was her child's name on the bill, not hers.

map shows all counties in NC have low community levels of COVID-19

Health & Safety

Triad health care systems go mask optional

3:32pm March 28, 2023

by Paul Garber

The Triad area’s major health care providers have dropped the requirement for masks.

Public health professor Arline Geronimus says marginalized people suffer nearly constant stress, which leads to increasingly serious health problems over time.

How poverty and racism 'weather' the body, accelerating aging and disease

2:00pm March 28, 2023

by Dave Davies

Public health professor Arline Geronimus explains how marginalized people suffer nearly constant stress, which damages their bodies at the cellular level. Her new book is Weathering.

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Health & Safety

Commonsense initiative aims to reduce maternal mortality among Black women

10:17am March 28, 2023

by Priyanka D McCluskey

An initiative in Boston helps them monitor blood pressure by giving women a blood pressure cuff to take home. (Story aired on Weekend Edition Sunday on March 26, 2023.

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Kennise Nevers holds her son, AJ, in her arms at home. Nevers' mother, Nancy Josey, looks on.

Health & Safety

The simple intervention that may keep Black moms healthier

7:54am March 28, 2023

by Priyanka Dayal McCluskey

A Boston hospital gets daily, home blood pressure checks for moms at risk for the pregnancy complication, pre-eclampsia. The effort is a response to alarming rates of Black maternal mortality.

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Parts of California to have Care Court for those with untreated severe mental illness

5:41pm March 27, 2023

by Eric Westervelt

Eight California counties are creating "Care Courts" for people with untreated severe mental illness. A judge may order treatment that counties must fund. Civil liberties groups have sued to stop it.

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