State bill would mandate insurance coverage for infertility
Lawmakers kicked off this year’s legislative session Monday. One bill that’s up for consideration would mandate insurance coverage for a spectrum of infertility treatments. Barbara Collura and Julie Berman were at the Capitol this week to advocate for the bill. Collura is president and CEO of Resolve: The National Infertility Association. Julie Berman leads the […]
More kids are dying of drug overdoses. Could pediatricians do more to help?
As part of his pediatric practice, Dr. Safdar Medina treats opioid use disorder. During a recent appointment at a clinic in Uxbridge, Mass., Medina switched a teenage patient’s buprenorphine prescription to an injectable form and checked in about his school and social life. Martha Bebinger/WBUR Updated February 16, 2024 at 11:08 AM ET A 17-year-old […]
More kids are dying of drug overdoses. Could pediatricians do more to help?
As part of his pediatric practice, Dr. Safdar Medina treats opioid use disorder. During a recent appointment at a clinic in Uxbridge, Mass., Medina switched a teenage patient’s buprenorphine prescription to an injectable form and checked in about his school and social life. Martha Bebinger/WBUR Updated February 16, 2024 at 11:08 AM ET A 17-year-old […]
For Minnesotans suffering with sickle cell, FDA delivers new hope
When Damani Green was little, he was told he’d never be able to play sports because of his sickle cell disease. Today, the 16-year-old plays basketball and soccer at school. Getting his body to the point of playing, though, has meant enduring transfusions along with a form of chemotherapy originally created for leukemia patients, all […]
Abortion pills that patients got via telehealth and the mail are safe, study finds
Access to the abortion drug mifepristone could soon be limited by the Supreme Court for the whole country. Here, a nurse practitioner works at an Illinois clinic that offers telehealth abortion. Jeff Roberson/AP In March, the Supreme Court will hear a case about mifepristone, one of two drugs used in medication abortions. A key question […]
Americans who live alone report depression at higher rates, but social support helps
The number of people living alone in the U.S. went from nearly 5 million to about 38 million in a decade. A new study shows those who live alone report depression more than those who live with others. Yana Iskayeva/Getty Images People living alone are more likely to report feeling depressed compared to those living […]
Hmong people with dementia sing in harmony in new Twin Cities choir
CATHY WURZER: I can tell you that if you’ve ever been with a person living with dementia, especially in the later stages of the disease, one of the most amazing things to note is that one of the things that the disease doesn’t take away is the enjoyment of music. I speak from experience on […]
New Twin Cities clinics focus on health for women 65 and older
CATHY WURZER: This month is American Heart Month. And if you’re a woman, the leading cause of death is not breast cancer. It’s heart disease. More than 60 million women in this country are living with some form of heart disease. And it can hit at any age, but the risk increases past the age […]
The CDC may be reconsidering its COVID isolation guidance
Tested positive for COVID and wondering whether you should isolate? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may soon change its guidelines. Patrick Sison/AP The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may soon drop its isolation guidance for people with COVID-19. The planned change was reported in The Washington Post on Tuesday, attributed to several […]
14 Grand Rapids residents came down with Legionnaires’ disease. The source is the city’s water supply
CATHY WURZER: An outbreak of a bacterial disease has sickened 14 people in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. 11 have required hospitalization over the course of several months. The source, the city’s water supply. Legionnaires disease is a serious type of pneumonia caused by inhaling Legionella bacteria, which is found in water. Now it can be deadly, […]