To move vascular procedures out of expensive hospitals, the government turbocharged payments to doctors’ offices. Instead of saving money, it started a boom that is making doctors rich and putting patients in danger.
Continue reading
Pancreatic cancer: a personalised mRNA vaccine may boost effects of treatment
Half of the patients treated with the vaccine and immunotherapy combination saw an increase in a specific type of immune cell (called a T cell, which is known to protect against cancer).
Continue reading
Brain signatures for chronic pain identified in a small group of individuals
Chronic pain is one of the largest contributors to disability worldwide. Neuropathic pain is caused by damage to the nervous system itself. It most commonly occurs due to injury to the nerves in our bodies, but for the individuals in this study, their pain is thought to originate from the brain itself. This kind of pain does not respond well to current treatments and can be debilitating for people living with it.
Continue reading
Measles case in King County
Public Health – Seattle & King County is investigating a confirmed measles case in a child. People who were at Aki Kurose Middle School, Pike Place Market, World Market, and HopeCentral Pediatrics & Behavioral Health in Seattle may have been exposed to measles if they were there within the time span that this person passed through while infectious.
Continue reading
Hospitals in Two States Denied an Abortion to a Miscarrying Patient. Investigators Say They Broke Federal Law.
After her water broke too early, Mylissa Farmer was denied abortion care at emergency rooms in Missouri and Kansas. The Biden administration says the hospitals violated federal law.
Continue reading
Climate change is changing public health
In Washington, a new team of epidemiologists is preparing for a hotter, smokier future.
Continue reading
Balance declines with age, but exercise can help stave off some of the risk of falling
A number of physical changes with aging often go unseen preceding falls, including muscle weakness, decreased balance and changes in vision.
Continue reading
Am I too old to build muscle?
What science says about sarcopenia and building strength later in life
Continue reading
Rural Health Clinics with ‘Head-to-Toe and Womb-to-Tomb’ Care
Rural health clinics are safety net providers whose original mandate was primarily to increase access to care for those on Medicaid or Medicare. They provided primary care and perhaps a few other services. But the Rural Health Clinic program has evolved over the years, and some clinics, like Primary Care Centers of Eastern Kentucky, have expanded their roles quite considerably.
Continue reading
Health disparities cost to U.S. economy tops $450 billion a year
Most of the economic burden for racial and ethnic disparities was borne by Black/African American population (69%) due to the level of premature mortality. Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander ($23,225) and American Indian/Alaska Native ($12,351) populations had the highest economic burden per person.
Continue reading
Study Reveals Staggering Toll of Being Black in America: 1.6M Excess Deaths Over 22 Years
Because so many Black people die young — with many years of life ahead of them — their higher mortality rate from 1999 to 2020 resulted in a cumulative loss of more than 80 million years of life compared with the white population, the study showed.
Continue reading
One in five US adults report persistent, chronic pain, study finds
Overall, the study found that the rate of chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain among adults is approximately 21% and 8%, respectively. Chronic pain is pain that is experienced on most days or every day in the past three months; and high-impact chronic pain s pain that limits life or work activities on most days or every day during the past three months.
Continue reading
Going long: Viruses linger with lasting impact
Herpes, HIV, Epstein-Barr and other viruses hang around, causing potential long-term health woes. Should ‘long COVID’ surprise us?
Continue reading
‘Grotesque Catch-22’ – Sickest Rural Adults Are the Least Likely to Be Able to Pay for Healthcare
Research on cost barriers to health care found that rural adults were more likely than urban adults to report being unable to pay their medical bills or have problems paying their medical bills. Rural adults also were more likely to use medications in ways not prescribed (like taking pills every other day or only filling prescriptions every other month) to save money on medication.
Continue reading
Heat Advisory Issued this Weekend for Washington State
The National Weather Service is forecasting temperatures in the high 80s and low 90s for much of western Washington by Monday. Since many Washingtonians do not have air conditioning in their homes, cooling off can be a challenge, particularly for people with health conditions, the elderly, and infants.
Continue reading