Increased access to prescription opioids has driven up U.S. suicide rates by making it easier to women to end their lives, a new study claims. The study also blames a shrinking federal safety net during tough economic times for rising suicide rates. “We contend that the U.S. federal government’s weak regulatory oversight of the pharmaceutical… read on > read on >
Millions of Black and Hispanic middle-class adults won’t be able to afford senior housing and health care expenses as they grow old, a new study warns. The number of middle-income older adults of color is expected to double within the next decade, rising from 12% in 2020 to 25% in 2035. But compared to the… read on > read on >
Hispanic Americans who are hospitalized and placed on ventilators have a higher risk of death than their white peers, and new research may reveal a reason why. The study found that Hispanic patients in respiratory failure receive heavy sedation at a rate that is five times that of white patients, according to researchers at New… read on > read on >
A study of mental health care in Maryland finds an increasing number of children and teens covered by Medicaid are taking multiple psychiatric meds. This trend towards “polypharmacy” might be happening elsewhere, prior research suggests. In the new study, Maryland kids ages 17 or younger experienced “a 4% increased odds of psychotropic polypharmacy per year… read on > read on >
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is weighing whether to recommend another COVID booster shot this spring, most likely for those who are vulnerable to severe illness. An advisory panel to the CDC is expected to vote on whether to recommend a spring booster during a Feb. 28 meeting, a source close to… read on > read on >
Nearly 15% of Americans still deny that climate change is real, according to a new national assessment from the University of Michigan. Evidence of climate change has been mounting, including science which has shown that climate-related natural disasters are growing in frequency and intensity sooner than originally predicted, researchers said. Nevertheless, climate change is still… read on > read on >
A standard blood test can reveal whether a person is at high risk of having a heart attack within six months, a new study shows. Researchers identified dozens of biomarkers in blood linked to the risk of a first heart attack, according to a report published Feb. 12 in the journal Nature Cardiovascular Research. “The… read on > read on >
More than two dozen toddlers and at least 128 pregnant women received RSV vaccines they should not have gotten, U.S. health officials say. The mixup, reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, follows approval this winter of two vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The virus is particularly dangerous to older people… read on > read on >
Doctors are bailing on the profession for a reason that may surprise their patients. It’s not frustration with government rules or cumbersome insurance requirements, but problems securing suitable childcare for long and ever-changing working hours, a new survey published Feb. 15 in the BMJ finds. Erin Dean, who wrote a summary of the survey results,… read on > read on >
Nearly half of health care workers nationwide say they’ve seen discrimination against patients while on the job, a new report reveals. While 47% of health workers said they’ve witnessed discrimination against patients in their facilities, 52% said racism against patients is a major problem, according to the report from the Commonwealth Fund and the African… read on > read on >
