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☆ Do we simply not care about older adults in the US?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Judith Graham | Kff Health News | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

KFF Health News —The Covid-19 pandemic would be a wake-up call for America, advocates for the elderly predicted: incontrovertible proof that the nation wasn’t doing enough to care for vulnerable older adults. Around 900,000 older adults have died of Covid-19 to date, accounting for 3 of every 4 Americans who have perished in the pandemic. Many seniors at high risk aren’t getting antiviral therapies for Covid, and most older adults in nursing homes aren’t getting updated vaccines. The pandemic made things worsePrejudice against older adults is nothing new, but “it feels more intense, more hostile” now than previously, said Karl Pillemer, 69, a professor of psychology and gerontology at Cornell University. But as a society, we don’t value older adults or the people who care for them,” said Robert Kramer, 74, co-founder and strategic adviser at the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care.

Persons: —, ”, Alice Bonner, I’m, Karl Pillemer, “, ’, ’ ”, Andrew Achenbaum, Achenbaum, Covid, Edwin Walker, Robert Kramer, Kramer, John Rowe, Anne Montgomery, Allen Power, ” Power, it’s “, ” Pillemer Organizations: Health, America, CDC, Institute for Healthcare, gerontology, Cornell University, Texas Medical Center, Aging, Department of Health, Human Services, National Investment Center, Seniors Housing & Care, ”, Columbia University’s Mailman, of Public Health, National Committee, Preserve Social Security, Schlegel, University of Waterloo Research Institute, National Academy of Medicine’s, Healthy, University of Southern, Cornell, Kaiser Health, KFF Locations: Houston, Canada, University of Southern California

☆ Mammography AI can cost patients extra. Is it worth it?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Michelle Andrews | Kff Health News | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In recent years, AI software that helps radiologists detect problems or diagnose cancer using mammography has been moving into clinical use. This extra review has enormous potential to improve the detection of suspicious breast masses and lead to earlier diagnoses of breast cancer. With RadNet’s AI tool, “it’s as if all patients get the benefit of our very top performer.”But is the tech analysis worth the extra cost to patients? The health system has developed AI models and is testing the technology with mammograms but doesn’t yet offer it to patients, she said. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, “computer-assisted detection” software promised to improve breast cancer detection.

Persons: “, ”, Etta Pisano, RadNet, Gregory Sorensen, Sorensen, generalists, ” Sorensen, Laura Heacock, NYU Langone Health’s, Heacock, it’s, Constance Lehman, ” Lehman, RadNet’s, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Christoph Lee, mammography, Robert Smith, ” Smith, Smith, we’re Organizations: Health, American College of Radiology, NYU, Cancer, “, National Cancer Institute, FDA, Medicare, Services, CMS, Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Imaging Research, Mass, Get CNN, CNN Health, Screening, Research, University of Washington School of Medicine, American Cancer Society, Kaiser Health, KFF Locations: Manhattan, Baltimore, RadNet, New York, New Jersey, mammograms, Boston, Massachusetts, United States, Europe, Sweden, U.S

☆ Native American communities have the highest suicide rates, yet interventions are scarce
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Cheryl Platzman Weinstock | Kff Health News | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

He spent more than a week in an inpatient mental health unit, but once home, he was offered sparse mental health resources. Despite decades of research into suicide prevention, suicide rates among Indigenous people have remained stubbornly high, especially among Indigenous people ages 10 to 24, according to the CDC. Experts say that’s because the national strategy for suicide prevention isn’t culturally relevant or sensitive to Native American communities’ unique values. Several tribal communities are attempting to implement a similar system in their communities, said Cwik. Pamela End of Horn, a social worker and national suicide prevention consultant at IHS, said the Department of Veterans Affairs “has a suicide coordinator in every medical center across the U.S., plus case managers, and they have an entire office dedicated to suicide prevention.

Persons: Amanda MorningStar, “, ”, MorningStar, Ben, Ben MorningStar, Mary Cwik, ” Cwik, Joseph P, Gros, Stephen O’Connor, Teresa Brockie, Brockie, Fort Belknap, It’s, Cwik, Pamela, Department of Veterans Affairs “, Robert Coberly, Coberly, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ” Ben MorningStar Organizations: Health, Blackfeet, Centers for Disease Control, Montana Budget, Policy, . Montana, CDC, Indian Health Service, IHS, Center, Indigenous Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Harvard University, Division of Services, Intervention, National Institute of Mental Health, ”, NIMH, National Institutes of Health, Mental Health Services Administration, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, American Public Health Association, Department of Veterans Affairs, Oglala Lakota, Rural Behavioral Health Institute, CNN, CNN Health, Kaiser Health, KFF Locations: Heart Butte , Montana, United States, Heart Butte, Baltimore, Montana, Fort, Aaniiih, Fort Peck, Peck, Arizona, U.S, South Dakota, Tulalip, Washington

☆ Who will care for older adults? We’ve plenty of know-how but too few specialists
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Judith Graham | Kff Health News | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Research suggests each geriatrician should care for no more than 700 patients; the current ratio of providers to older patients is 1 to 10,000. In some respects, geriatrics has been remarkably successful in disseminating principles and practices meant to improve the care of older adults. Under this model, older adults with acute but non-life-threatening illnesses get care at home, managed closely by nurses and doctors. In July 2019, the American College of Surgeons created a program with 32 standards designed to improve the care of older adults. The bright lights, noise, and harried atmosphere in hospital emergency rooms can disorient older adults.

Persons: Jerry Gurwitz, “, ” Gurwitz, What’s, “ There’s, ”, geriatrician Gregg Warshaw, geriatrics, Michael Harper, Thomas Robinson, geriatricians, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Lisa Walke, Harper Organizations: CNN, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, American Geriatrics Society, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, University of California, Seniors, American College of Surgeons, Initiative, Geriatric, American College of Emergency Physicians, Centers, Medicare, Medicaid Services, UCLA, Indiana University, Johns Hopkins University, UCSF, Get CNN, CNN Health, Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, KFF Health, Kaiser Health, KFF Locations: United States, San Francisco

☆ Doubts abound about a new Alzheimer’s blood test
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Judith Graham | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The Quest Diagnostics blood test, AD-Detect, measures elevated levels of amyloid-beta proteins, a signature characteristic of Alzheimer’s. But Alzheimer’s researchers and clinicians aren’t convinced the Quest test is backed by sound scientific research. Though blood tests for Alzheimer’s are likely to become common in the years ahead, the Alzheimer’s Association said it’s premature to offer a test of this kind directly to consumers. Because the science behind blood tests for Alzheimer’s is still developing and because “patients may not really understand the uncertainty of test results,” Edelmayer said, the Alzheimer’s Association “does not endorse the use of the AD-Detect test by consumers.”Quest’s blood test is one of several developments altering the landscape of Alzheimer’s care in the United States. The bottom line: Before taking a test, “older adults need to ask themselves, ‘Why do I want to know this?

Persons: aren’t, Alzheimer’s, Michael Racke, ”, there’s, Suzanne Schindler, St . Louis, That’s, ” Schindler, Racke, Meera Sheffrin, —, Rebecca Edelmayer, ” Edelmayer, Eric Widera, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Emily Largent, ’ ”, Munro Cullum Organizations: Health, Diagnostics, Alzheimer’s Association, Quest, University of Michigan, International Conference, Washington University School of Medicine, Senior, Stanford Healthcare, The University of Michigan, FDA, National Institute, Aging, University of California, Get CNN, CNN Health, University, Pennsylvania’s Perelman, of Medicine, HIPAA, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Kaiser Health, KFF Locations: U.S, San Diego, St ., United States, San Francisco

☆ Kaiser healthcare unions say weeklong strike possible early next month
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Healthcare workers strike in front of Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, as more than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers go on strike from October 4 to 7 across the United States, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. October 4, 2023. The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions said on Monday it has served the company notice that a weeklong "follow-up strike is possible" starting Nov. 1 unless the two sides come to a settlement beforehand. The company did not have an immediate response to the unions' latest strike deadline. The strike, which ran for three days, marked the largest work stoppage to date in the healthcare sector. Kaiser said it kept its hospitals and emergency departments open during the walkout, staffed by doctors, managers and "contingency workers."

Persons: Julie Su, Su, Kaiser, Steve Gorman, Sriparna Roy, Caroline Humer, Shinjini Ganguli, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, Permanente, REUTERS, Kaiser Permanente, Coalition, Kaiser Permanente Unions, Union, Kaiser, District of Columbia, Thomson Locations: United States, Los Angeles , California, U.S, Kaiser, California, California , Oregon, Washington, , Colorado, Virginia, Seattle, Los Angeles, Bengaluru

☆ Health care workers strike: Kaiser Permanente unionized employees walk out after failed contract negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Los Angeles CNN —On Wednesday, thousands of unionized health care employees walked off the job after failed contract negotiations with their employer, Kaiser Permanente, a company whose business model is distinctive, compared to most health care providers in the United States. Members are mainly locked in to using Kaiser health workersKaiser’s membership dues set it apart from America’s traditional “fee-for-service” health care model, in which a doctor or health care provider is paid a fee for each service they perform. It’s a nonprofit entityAlthough Kaiser Permanente operates as a nonprofit entity, it generates billions of dollars in profit. “It’s time for Kaiser executives to invest those resources in addressing the desperate needs of Kaiser patients and frontline health care workers. August said in his experience at Kaiser Permanente, employees were “very proud” of their work.

Persons: Kaiser, ”, John August, Kaiser Permanente, ‘ I’m, ’ ”, Gerald Kominski, ” Kominski, It’s, “ Kaiser, Renee Saldana, “, Kominski Organizations: Los Angeles CNN —, Kaiser Permanente, Coalition, Kaiser Permanente Unions, of, UCLA Center for Health, Research, SEIU, UHW, Kaiser Locations: Kaiser, United States, Oakland , California, California , Colorado, of Columbia , Georgia, Hawaii , Maryland , Oregon, Virginia, Washington

☆ Have you been affected by the Kaiser health workers strike? Tell us your story.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ Kaiser Permanente workers say deal unlikely to avert strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The newly constructed Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center hospital is shown in San Diego, California, U.S. April 17, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 1 (Reuters) - The coalition of unions representing healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente said late on Saturday it is unlikely there will be a new agreement with the healthcare provider, as their current contract expires and the unions prepare for strike action. The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions said it and the company remained far apart on important issues. Earlier in September, more than 75,000 Kaiser healthcare workers called for a strike from Oct. 4 to Oct. 7 across California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Virginia and Washington DC, in what would be the largest healthcare workers' strike, according to the coalition. Workers of the coalition are demanding resolution on a short-staffing crisis, a pay increase and an improvement in medical plans.

Persons: Mike Blake, Kaiser Permanenete, Jahnavi Nidumolu, Jose Joseph, Hugh Lawson, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center, REUTERS, Kaiser Permanente, Coalition, Kaiser Permanente Unions, Reuters, Washington DC, . Workers, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics, Auto, Detroit Three, Ford, Motors, Chrysler, Thomson Locations: Kaiser, San Diego , California, U.S, California , Oregon, Washington , Colorado, Virginia, Washington, United States, Bengaluru

☆ Kaiser Permanente workers say they are unlikely to reach deal to avert strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The newly constructed Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center hospital is shown in San Diego, California, U.S. April 17, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 1 (Reuters) - The coalition of unions representing healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente said late on Saturday it is unlikely there will be a new agreement with the healthcare provider, as their current contract expires and the unions prepare for strike action. The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions said it and the company remained far apart on important issues. Earlier in September, more than 75,000 Kaiser healthcare workers called for a strike from Oct. 4 to Oct.7 across California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Virginia and Washington DC, in what would be the largest healthcare workers' strike, according to the coalition. Workers of the coalition are demanding resolution on a short staffing crisis, a pay increase and an improvement in medical plans.

Persons: Mike Blake, Jahnavi, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center, REUTERS, Kaiser Permanente, Coalition, Kaiser Permanente Unions, Washington DC, . Workers, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics, Detroit Three, Ford, Motors, Chrysler, Thomson Locations: Kaiser, San Diego , California, U.S, California , Oregon, Washington , Colorado, Virginia, Washington, United States, Bengaluru

☆ Volunteering in late life may protect the brain, research finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New research backs her up: Volunteering has been linked with better scores on tests of cognitive function, according to research presented Thursday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Amsterdam. “We hope these new data encourage individuals of all ages and backgrounds to engage in local volunteering — not only to benefit their communities, but potentially their own cognitive and brain health.”Previous studies have found positive links between volunteering and cognitive function. These adults were around age 74 on average and had participated in the Kaiser Healthy Aging and Diverse Life Experiences Study or the Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans. Barberena thinks volunteering helps maintain her cognition by engaging her memory, verbal and reasoning skills, she said. Previous studies have found socializing and physical activity, both often involved in volunteering, to be beneficial for brain health.

Persons: Celia Barberena, Barberena, ”, “, Donna McCullough, —, it’s, Maria C, Carrillo, wasn’t, hadn’t, ” Carrillo, Yi Lor, Lor, ” Barberena, ” Lor Organizations: CNN, Alzheimer’s Association International, “ Volunteers, Alzheimer’s Association, Healthy Aging, Aging, University of California, Alliance Locations: Latina, Pacific Grove , California, Amsterdam, Davis, Monterey County, “, California’s Monterey

☆ In older adults, a little excess weigh may be OK
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Judith Graham | Kff Health News | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

For years, experts have debated what to advise older adults in this situation. Only 27% to 44% of older adults meet these guidelines, according to various surveys. Epidemiologic research suggests that the ideal body mass index (BMI) might be higher for older adults than younger adults. The study’s conclusion: “The WHO healthy weight range may not be suitable for older adults.” Instead, being overweight may be beneficial for older adults, while being notably thin can be problematic, contributing to the potential for frailty. Indeed, an optimal BMI for older adults may be in the range of 24 to 29, Carl Lavie, a well-known obesity researcher, suggested in a separate study reviewing the evidence surrounding obesity in older adults.

Persons: they’ve, ”, Mitchell Lazar, we’re, John Batsis, Anne Newman, —, Carl Lavie, Lavie, “, ” Lavie, Newman, you’re, Dinesh Edem, Dennis Kerrigan, Katie Dodd Organizations: CNN, US Centers for Disease Control, Institute for Diabetes, University, Pennsylvania’s Perelman, of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Center for Aging, Health, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, BMI, World Health Organization, WHO, University of Pittsburgh, University of North, University of Arkansas, Medical Sciences, Henry Ford Health, Kaiser Health, KFF Locations: —, Chapel Hill, New Orleans, University of North Carolina, Michigan

"The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency marks a tremendous transition for our country, for public health, and in my tenure as CDC Director," Walensky wrote to President Joe Biden in her resignation letter. "We have all benefited from her service and dedication to public health, and I wish her the best in her next chapter," Biden said in a statement. "For 75 years, CDC and public health have been preparing for COVID-19, and in our big moment, our performance did not reliably meet expectations," she told CDC staff last summer. Public health experts said Walensky wrestled with political and technical challenges during her tenure. "Dr. Walensky was put into place at the CDC at a time when the agency was basically captive to politicians which clearly hampered her ability to lead," he said.

☆ Healthcare, college education, and childcare started getting worse decades ago. Now we're all finally feeling it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Americans are accruing billions in debt to pay for things like education and healthcare. But that would require shifting the idea of childcare, education, and healthcare and thinking of them as public goods — not businesses. That ultimately meant millions in funding for public childcare. "If the US health system was a country, it would be about the fourth-largest country in the world," Cooper said. There's much less government involvement in the US healthcare system than in other countries, Cooper said.

☆ The 4 Americans who were attacked after crossing the Mexican border were traveling to get a tummy tuck procedure, relatives say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Chris Panella | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Two of the four Americans kidnapped in Mexican are dead, while the other two were found alive. Relatives told CNN and ABC News the group traveled for one of them to get a tummy tuck procedure. Tamaulipas Governor Américo Villarreal said the other two Americans were found alive in Tamaulipas, according to Latinus journalist Claudio Ochoa Huerta. Obrador confirmed at a press conference Monday that the group was abducted on March 3 in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, near the Rio Grande and southern US border with Brownsville, Texas. It was originally reported by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador that the group traveled to buy medication.

☆ Small-town nursing homes closing amid staffing crunch
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Tony Leys | Kaiser Health News | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

In Iowa, 13 of the 15 nursing homes that closed in 2022 were in rural areas, according to the Iowa Health Care Association. “We’ve had more nursing homes go bankrupt in the last year than in the last 10 years combined,” she said. Nationally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported recently that 129 nursing homes had closed in 2022. In Iowa, Medicaid pays nursing homes about $215 per day per resident, according to the Iowa Health Care Association. Willett said a recent survey found that 72% of Iowa’s remaining nursing homes were freezing or limiting admissions below their capacity.

☆ Hospitals rely on volunteers for $5 billion a year of free work — and some could be violating federal labor laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Lauren Sausser | Kaiser Health News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The US health system benefits from potentially over $5 billion in free volunteer labor annually. Like paid employees, hospital volunteers typically face mandatory vaccine requirements, background checks, and patient privacy training. Hedges was furloughed for the better part of six months when hospital volunteers were sent home in March 2020. Nonprofit and for-profit hospitals alike benefit from volunteersNonprofit hospitals must follow federal labor laws, too. Nonprofit hospitals are required to provide a benefit to their communities, such as offering charity care, in exchange for their special tax status.

☆ How health insurance may have made health care more expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Charlotte Morabito | In Charlottemorabito | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Roughly 40% of U.S. adults have at least $250 in medical debt, according to a survey conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation. There are many complicated reasons for the rise in the cost of care such as not prioritizing preventive care or a lack of price transparency, but one of the biggest catalysts for inflation was the rise of health insurance. In the early 2000s, federal legislation led to a major restructuring of how insurance plans shared costs, with the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act spurring a boom in high-deductible health insurance plans. A deductible is the amount a policyholder has to pay upfront before their health insurance plan kicks in. Watch the video above to learn more about how medical debt became so common in the U.S. health care system and what we can do to change it.

☆ As child vaccine rates slip, local health officials fight misinformation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Lauren Sausser | Kaiser Health News | Lauren Sausser Covers Health Across The South As Part Of Khn'S Southern Bureau. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

So the Health Department conducted something called an online “sentiment search,” which gauges how certain words are perceived on social media. An analysis conducted by KHN and The Associated Press found local health department spending dropped by 18% per capita from 2010 to 2020. To that end, the health department has partnered with local leaders and groups to encourage vaccinations. — Phil Maytubby, Oklahoma city County health departmentThe more than 3,000 public health departments nationwide stand to benefit from a unified message, he said. In late 2020, the foundation, working with other public health groups, established the Public Health Communications Collaborative to amplify easy-to-understand information about vaccines.

☆ NYU's emergency room gave special treatment to donors and VIPs including Chuck Schumer, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Sarah Braner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The New York Times reports NYU Langone gave "VIPs" like donors and trustees preferential treatment. NYU Langone broadly denied the claims in a statement to Insider. Langone told the Times that he never asked for or was offered special treatment. Ambulance workers who brought these patients to NYU Langone were sometimes pressured to take them elsewhere, the report says. New York Senator Chuck Schumer once went into Room 20 with his wife, who was experiencing shortness of breath, the Times reported.

Amid the hubbub of a busy hospital, Mel wasn’t sleeping at night. For two days, Mel was housed in the emergency department; the hospital had no regular rooms available. As far as we knew, Mel’s stroke was tended to promptly, but the lack of clear communication left us with lingering doubts. Six days after his stroke, Mel was discharged to the nursing home where he’d been living for four months following a previous hospitalization. Over the next few days, Mel’s six grandchildren and three sons and their wives traveled to be at his side.

☆ Popular Medicare Advantage plans have 'clear cases of overpayments and improper billing of US taxpayers,' advocates and analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The original Medicare program is offered directly through the federal government. "There hasn't been enough of an indictment of Medicare Advantage plans," Mary Johnson, a Social Security and Medicare policy analyst at the Senior Citizens League, told Insider. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the share of all Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans will grow to 61% by 2032. The politics of Medicare AdvantagePoliticians, primarily Republicans, have done their part to promote Medicare Advantage over the original Medicare plans since President George W. Bush overhauled the program in 2003. Johnson said Medicare Advantage was so popular among conservatives because it shifted financial responsibility from the government to patients.

But agency veterans, outside public health officials, and workplace organization experts said the current workplace structure could be a major barrier to that goal. As of early 2020, much of the workforce of the FDA and the National Institutes of Health was working remotely. Today, the NIH is mostly back in the office, but the FDA said many of its employees continue to work remotely when possible. Many people have fled the U.S. public health workforce in recent years, burned out from the covid-19 response. Benjamin said the CDC would likely have made its pandemic stumbles even if staffers hadn’t been working remotely.

☆ As overdoses soar in rural America, more clinicians are prescribing addiction medications
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Tony Leys | Kaiser Health News | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

The Health Resources and Services Administration, which aims to improve health care for underserved people, offers many of these grants. But the use of methadone for addiction treatment is tightly regulated, due to concerns that it can be abused. Federal regulators approved Suboxone in 2002, opening an avenue for addiction treatment in towns without methadone clinics. Or a patient’s primary doctor could take over the buprenorphine treatment after an addiction treatment specialist stabilizes a patient. Storjohann said some health care professionals believe addiction treatment would lead to frustration, because patients can repeatedly relapse.

☆ ‘Living in despair and hopelessness’: A lack of affordable housing can put people’s health at risk
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Renuka Rayasam Fred Clasen-Kelly Kaiser Health News | Renuka Rayasam | Fred Clasen-Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

She suspected the gray and brown splotches spreading through the apartment were mold and had caused her son’s illness. A nationwide affordable housing crisis has wreaked havoc on the lives of low-income families, like Joseph’s, who are close to the brink. Housing instability — such as having trouble paying rent, living in crowded conditions, or moving frequently — can have negative consequences on health, according to the federal Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. And there is no county in the country where a minimum-wage worker could afford a two-bedroom rental home, according to an August report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. A few months after leaving the apartment, Joseph and her two children moved in with her sister in Orlando, Florida, with their remaining possessions — a car and some clothes.

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