Martha Bebinger, WBUR

Author's posts

When Temps Rise, So Do Medical Risks. Should Doctors and Nurses Talk More About Heat?

The medical dangers of heat are real. But people often ignore public heat alerts or don’t realize how vulnerable they are. A new alert system prompts clinicians to talk about heat with patients.

Hospitals Have Been Slow to Bring On Addiction Specialists

Hospitals have specialists ready to offer consult and care for concerns from cancer to childbirth but often no one with expertise in addiction medicine. Patients with a history of substance use — who are discharged without care — are at risk for overdose.

No Vacancy: How a Shortage of Mental Health Beds Keeps Kids Trapped Inside ERs

What’s known as emergency room boarding of psychiatric patients has risen between 200% and 400% monthly in Massachusetts during the pandemic — and the problem is widespread. The CDC says emergency room visits after suicide attempts among teen girls were up 51% earlier this year as compared with 2019.

‘I Just Feel Like Myself’: A Nonbinary Child In Their Own Words

When they were 6, Hallel told their parents they are a boy-girl. At 9, they are helping their parents, grandparents and friends understand what it means to be nonbinary.

Pandemic Imperiled Non-English Speakers More Than Others

Covid patients who did not speak English well were 35% more likely to die, data from one Boston hospital shows.

Another COVID Mystery: Patients Survive Ventilator, But Linger in a Coma

Doctors are diagnosing a new stage of COVID-19 recovery: patients who take much longer than usual to regain consciousness after coming off a ventilator. And a growing number of doctors are worried some patients aren’t being given the time they need to wake up.

Contact Tracers in Massachusetts Might Order Milk or Help With Rent. Here’s Why.

Massachusetts offers support and resources for people isolating because of COVID-19 — helping them make choices that keep everyone safe. Experts say that is work that more states need to fund.

Massachusetts Recruits 1,000 ‘Contact Tracers’ To Battle COVID-19

“I know we will succeed somewhat and we will fail somewhat,” says one of the plan’s chief architects. “We won’t be able to find every single person — but we will hopefully prevent a lot of deaths.”

Already Taxed Health Care Workers Not ‘Immune’ From Layoffs And Less Pay

Revenue is way down for primary care, specialty physicians and some hospitals as patients avoid non-urgent visits. Practices small and large are doling out layoffs and furloughs to staff.

Addiction Is ‘A Disease Of Isolation’ — So Pandemic Puts Recovery At Risk

People in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction have to weather a new storm of depression, anxiety and isolation during the pandemic, just as the social supports of Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs move online.