Category: Audio

Rural Seasonal Workers Worry About Montana Medicaid’s Work Requirements

Montana is one of several states that want Medicaid recipients to prove they work a steady, minimum number of hours monthly. Will federal courts allow the Montana rule change to stand?

As States With Legal Weed Embrace Vaping Bans, Black-Market Risks Linger

Many cases of vaping-related injury seem to involve THC, health officials say. That’s led some states to take another look at the safety of the regulated cannabis market, as well as the black market.

In Tiny Doses, An Addiction Medication Moonlights As Treatment For Chronic Pain

Naltrexone, commonly used for opioid and alcohol use disorders, may also help patients with chronic pain — when prescribed in microdoses. But few doctors or patients seem to know about it.

As Texas Cracks Down On Abortion, Austin Votes To Help Women Defray Costs

The Austin City Council is setting aside $150,000 in city funds to help local women seeking an abortion pay for related costs, such as transportation or child care.

In Rural Utah, Preventing Suicide Means Meeting Gun Owners Where They Are

In Utah, 85% of deaths from firearms are suicides. To help people who might be vulnerable, outreach workers are discussing suicide prevention at gun shows and firearms classes.

Listen: Opioid Trial In Oklahoma Wraps Up

Oklahoma is seeking $17 billion in damages from Johnson & Johnson, the pharmaceutical giant. After a seven-week trial, a judge will decide if the opioid drugmaker is liable and if so, for how much.

Mini-Biographies Help Clinicians Connect With Patients

Some Veterans Affairs hospitals around the country use writers to record patients’ life stories, then place a short biography in each vet’s medical record. The My Life, My Story program gives clinicians another way to get to know their patients.

Effects Of Surgery On A Warming Planet: Can Anesthesia Go Green?

Two of the most commonly used anesthesia gases are similar medically but worlds apart when it comes to their impact on the planet.

Amid Opioid Prescriber Crackdown, Health Officials Reach Out To Pain Patients

After dozens of health care workers were charged with illegally prescribing opioids in Appalachia, local health agencies are trying to make sure chronic pain patients don’t fall through the cracks.

Watchdogs Cite Lax Medical And Mental Health Treatment Of ICE Detainees

It’s Saturday morning and the women of the Contreras family are busy in Montclair, Calif., making pupusas, tamales and tacos. They’re working to replace the income of José Contreras, who has been held since last June at Southern California’s Adelanto ICE Processing Center, a privately run immigration detention center. José’s daughter, Giselle, drives around in […]