Health & Safety

Health & Safety

Netflix series travels the world's 'blue zones' where longevity rules

8:13am September 14, 2023

NPR's A Martinez talks to Dan Buettner about parts of the world where it's common for people to live past 100. While they're separated by distance and language, find out what they have in common.

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Sharon Hudson (left) has advanced Alzheimer's. But she smiles and giggles when her daughter, Lana Obermeyer, visits at the Good Samaritan Society nursing home in Syracuse, Nebraska.

Health & Safety

Rural nursing home operators say new staff rules would cause more closures

5:01am September 14, 2023

by Tony Leys

The Biden administration says a recently proposed minimum staffing standard would help ensure quality care, but nursing home leaders predict it will accelerate a trend of closures in rural America.

The number of overdoses that involve both fentanyl and stimulants like cocaine and meth is growing fast. One way people who use drugs can protect themselves is by using test strips to check for the presence of fentanyl in other drugs.

Fentanyl mixed with cocaine or meth is driving the '4th wave' of the overdose crisis

12:01am September 14, 2023

by Scott Maucione

A new study finds a 50-fold growth in deaths from combined use of stimulants and opioids. The toxic and contaminated drug supply is to blame.

Experts say the new COVID boosters are a much closer match to currently circulating variants than prior vaccines and boosters.

The new COVID boosters are coming: Here's what you need to know

8:52pm September 13, 2023

Updated versions of the mRNA vaccines roll out this week. Experts say they offer good protection against current COVID variants. Who should get them, and when's the best time to roll up your sleeve?

Nicole Blackmon says she is mourning two children, the teenager she lost to gun violence and her stillborn baby. She is suing Tennessee because she says abortion bans interfered with her care.

Health & Safety

Women fight abortion bans in 3 more states with legal actions

6:02pm September 13, 2023

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

Patients and doctors in Tennessee, Idaho and Oklahoma are taking legal action against state abortion bans. Women told dramatic stories of dangerous pregnancies and delayed care.

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A common ingredient in over-the-counter decongestants does not work, experts say

5:13pm September 13, 2023

by Will Stone

A panel of experts has concluded that a common ingredient in over-the-counter decongestants does not work. This could lead to the product being pulled from store shelves.

The Old Well on campus at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Health & Safety

University of North Carolina lifts lockdown after reports of armed person on campus

2:38pm September 13, 2023

by Associated Press

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has given the “all clear” after campus was locked down on Wednesday over reports of an armed and dangerous person on or near campus.

Health & Safety

North Carolina health officials urge residents to get updated COVID-19 vaccine

10:44am September 13, 2023

by Neal Charnoff

Health officials are encouraging North Carolinians to get an updated COVID-19 vaccine this fall along with their annual flu shot. The vaccine could be available by the end of this week, according to the North Carolina Department of Human Services. Officials note the vaccine is arriving just as North Carolina is seeing an uptick in infections, It's recommended for everyone 6 months and older.

Health & Safety

Patients and doctors in 3 states announce lawsuits over delayed and denied abortions

7:22am September 13, 2023

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

The Center for Reproductive Rights is filing lawsuits in three different states over delayed and denied abortions. (Story first aired on All Things Considered on Sept. 12, 2023.)

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Opioids are killing more Black men — largely due to the spread of fentanyl

6:04am September 13, 2023

Birmingham, Ala., is seeing a high rate of overdose deaths and addiction among Black men. Officials blame fentanyl and a lack of addiction treatment.

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