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Don’t call it ‘vegan’ and other tips from hospitals to get people to eat less meat
Turns out diners are more likely to get on board for altruistic reasons rather than health. That’s what one hospital learned after it pledged to reduce food-related greenhouse gas emissions.
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 know how vulnerable they are. A new alert system prompts clinicians to talk about heat with patients.
A roadblock to life-saving addiction treatment is gone. Now what?
Federal restrictions seemed to explain why many doctors weren’t prescribing medication for opioid addiction. But some caution that removing those rules isn’t enough to overcome hesitancy and stigma.
How an on-call addiction specialist at a hospital saved a life
Most hospitals don’t have addiction specialists on call. But Salem Hospital in Massachusetts does. We hear about one patient who got addiction help after coming in for a different problem.
Hospitals have specialists on call for lots of diseases — but not addiction. Why not?
U.S. overdose deaths have exceeded 100,000 a year, yet few hospitals are equipped to treat patients with addiction. A new kind of treatment team connect patients with help before they’re discharged.
They Call It ‘Tranq’ — And It’s Making Street Drugs Even More Dangerous
Xylazine, an animal tranquilizer, has made it into the illegal drug supply of opioids and cocaine. It is changing the way outreach workers treat overdoses and may be responsible for grisly injuries and infections among people who unknowingly inject it.
Doctors called 17 hospitals looking for an ICU bed. He died waiting for a transfer
A beloved pizzeria owner in Brimfield, Mass., had COVID-19 and needed dialysis, but it wasn’t available at the hospital where he died. The health system is “breaking down,” a hospital CEO says.
Patients are dying while waiting for specialized care because hospitals are full
Massachusetts hospitals have been struggling for weeks in a coronavirus-driven surge. Now, there are reports of patients dying because they couldn’t be transferred to higher-level care.
Kids In Mental Health Crisis Can Languish For Days Inside ERs
The practice of housing children who are in psychiatric crisis in local ERs — often for days, while they await appropriate in-patient treatment — has become even more prevalent during the pandemic.
The Pandemic Imperiled Non-English Speakers In A Hospital
Data from a Boston hospital showed that Latino patients who did not speak English well had a 35% greater risk of death from COVID-19. The hospital has added interpretation capacity.
