Health & Safety

Encore: The impact gun violence is having on society's mental health

5:25pm February 14, 2023

How is gun violence impacting our mental health as a society? NPR's Ari Shapiro asks psychologist Erika Felix how we should be taking care of ourselves amid countless stories of deadly mass shootings.

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If the brain is a musical instrument, "the electrophysiology is the music," says Dr. Alexander Khalessi. New tools to treat epilepsy patients now let doctors "listen to the music a little bit better."

Lasers, robots, and tiny electrodes are transforming treatment of severe epilepsy

2:57pm February 14, 2023

by Jon Hamilton

For people with drug-resistant epilepsy, surgery used to be seen as a last resort. Now it's often the treatment of choice.

Robots and lasers are helping doctors treat severe epilepsy

12:25pm February 14, 2023

by Jon Hamilton

A man with uncontrolled epileptic seizures sought surgery in 2009, but was turned down. Ten years later, advances in neurodiagnostic testing, lasers and microelectronics finally helped him.

Cooper announces $7.7 million for college-level mental health programs

10:59am February 14, 2023

by Neal Charnoff

Governor Roy Cooper has announced almost $8 million dollars in funding to support mental health programs in state colleges and universities.

Paul Davis is a retired physician in Findlay, Ohio, who gets weekly treatments of the drug Kimmtrak to help stave off the progression of his rare cancer — uveal melanoma. He worries the accumulating cost of the drug — nearly $50,000/week if he has to pay it out of pocket — could saddle his family with crushing medical debt after he's gone.

Nearly $50,000 a week for a cancer drug? A man worries about bankrupting his family

5:00am February 14, 2023

by Fred Schulte

Medicare suddenly stopped paying for the pricey drug that prolongs his life. As he waits for an appeal, this retired physician wonders if he should give up treatment to spare his family the cost.

The mental health of teen girls and LGBTQ+ teens has worsened since 2011

8:23pm February 13, 2023

by Rhitu Chatterjee

A CDC report from 2011-2021 found that the amount of teen girls who feel persistently sad and hopeless in 2021 has grown by 60% since 2011. It also found ongoing, extreme distress among LGBQ+ teens.

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LaShonia Ingram was one of 28 Medicaid beneficiaries in Tennessee charged with TennCare fraud last year. The District Attorney dropped the felony charges.

Health & Safety

In Tennessee, a Medicaid mix-up could land you on a 'most wanted' list

7:58pm February 13, 2023

by Blake Farmer

Medicaid enrollment swelled during the pandemic. And some states are being especially aggressive at policing their rolls.

Almost 60% of teen girls in the U.S. had depressive symptoms in the past year, according to new survey data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And nearly 1 in 3 said they'd seriously considered suicide.

Health & Safety

Teen girls and LGBTQ+ youth plagued by violence and trauma, survey says

7:43pm February 13, 2023

by Rhitu Chatterjee

Nearly one in three girls reported seriously considering suicide in the past year – a 60% rise from a decade ago, according to the CDC survey data.

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Some residents have filed a federal lawsuit after hazardous train derailment in Ohio

6:31pm February 13, 2023

by Julie Grant | Allegheny Front

It's been just over a week since a train carrying hazardous material derailed and caused a fiery crash in Ohio. Some residents worried about health risks have filed a federal lawsuit.

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Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick believes offering medical explanations in clear, everyday language from trusted messengers can help shrink health disparities. Her video company, Grapevine Health, is built on that idea — and some health insurers are buying in.

'Dr. Lisa on the Street' busts health myths and empowers patients

5:22pm February 13, 2023

She's seen what happens when people don't trust or understand their doctor. Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick founded 'Grapevine Health' to get solid information out, especially to Black and Latinx patients.