Massachusetts has set another record that no one will celebrate. Preliminary state data shows there were 2,357 overdose deaths in 2022. That’s 57 more deaths than in 2021, and an increase of 9% from the highest point before the COVID pandemic.

wbur.org/news/2023/06/2…

A woman with Alzheimer's could no longer follow the pattern on a hand hooked rug. A stranger volunteered to finish it for her. They found each other via an online network called Loose Ends. I got to tag along. Grateful.

wbur.org/news/2023/06/2…

Latest accounting shows opioid settlements coming to Mass. will top $1 bil. There's a question about how the 40% going to munis is being spent. State law says it has to go into a general municipal fund not a designated fund to tackle the addiction crisis.

wbur.org/news/2023/06/1…

Appeals court approval of the Purdue/Sackler settlement reminds me Mass. is sitting on $$millions coming in from other deals. But the group formed to guide spending hasn't met since 12/6/22. And no word from media reps for Kate Walsh about when the group will meet again.

I have no reason to think Councilor Anderson's comments were about Judaism.

Here's the original story:
wbur.org/news/2023/05/1…

Hospitals and insurers are tangling over rising costs as the health care system reaches a 'breaking point.'

Here's what leaders of Mass General Brigham and Blue Cross MA say about the crisis:
wbur.fm/3FKeWhq via WBUR

Do you know of a young person from Massachusetts who took a fake pill laced with #fentanyl and overdosed? Please DM if you have info you can share. Thanks very much! #opioids

I filed a story about why even historically cold weather states like Mass. need to ramp up efforts to cool pavement.

wbur.org/news/2022/10/2…

This film from Trillium Studios has the moving picture view:
trilliumstudios.com/archive/2022/3…

#climate

“Worse than anything that we have ever seen before.”

Mass. sees an uptick in immigrant families seeking asylum. Many are showing up in ERs with serious medical needs

wbur.fm/3dl1Dbl WBUR

10 years ago, Massachusetts launched an experiment to control health care costs. It created the MA Health Policy Commission and started holding the industry accountable for high spending...

More than 40 police depts in MA turned down WBUR's requests for records of officers accused of sexual or domestic abuse, due to a law intended to protect abuse survivors.

Today we aired the first in a breathtaking investigation by Ally. Give it a listen: wbur.org/news/2022/08/2…

Massachusetts life sciences companies continue to grow.

More than 106,000 people work in the industry.

Average pay: $201,549 a year.

wbur.fm/3CIyhOh via WBUR

The government will no longer be sending free COVID-19 tests to Americans wbur.org/npr/1119880329… via WBUR

My colleague Gabrielle Emanuel comes up with some cool stories. I had no idea that nearly 1 in 3 women have had bacterial vaginosis. Fluid transplants might help.

wbur.org/news/2022/08/0…

Pregnancy complications and maternal deaths increased during the pandemic, according to new research:

'In a country in which we think we have a pretty good health care system, the fact that that happened is highly, highly concerning.'

wbur.fm/3zPi3Qx via WBUR

The same week the MA legislature kills bills that would allow a supervised consumption pilot, @Somervillecity releases a plan about how to move forward. Fastest route would be a portable unit in a parking lot. #HarmReduction

wbur.org/news/2022/07/2…

The FDA is shelving plans to let younger adults get second COVID boosters this summer. Instead, officials are planning to speed up availability of next-generation boosters in the fall.
wbur.org/npr/1114408611… via WBUR

If you're Newport Folk Fest today, please check out Palmyra at 1:00. They are a blast!
palmyratheband.com

I've heard the heat/health warnings for years, but never understood the physiology. Thanks Dr. Hillary Irons UMass Memorial Health for explaining the cascade of heat harms and your guidance about how to intervene. #ClimateEmergency #Heatwave

wbur.org/news/2022/07/2…

Massachusetts's biggest health plans are paying for members to travel for abortion care if they live in states where abortion is restricted wbur.fm/3PDZjtg via WBUR