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Testing shortages force extreme shift in strategy by local health officials

Public health officials in California's state capital region announced this week they have stopped tracing the contacts of patients diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. They've also ceased recommending quarantines for residents exposed to people confirmed to have the virus.

13 Mar 2020

Uninsured older adults in China less likely to receive needed inpatient care

A new study, published this week in the International Journal of Health Services, found that older adults without health insurance in China were 35% less likely to receive needed inpatient care compared to those with job-based health insurance.

12 Mar 2020

The startling inequality gap that emerges after age 65

In an era when "deaths of despair" — from substance abuse and suicide — are on the rise among middle-aged Americans, those who reach age 65 are living longer than ever.

12 Mar 2020

Tampons, pads and politics mesh in new push for access to menstrual supplies

Geoff Davis' gray Kia sedan is chock-full of tampons and maxi pads.

12 Mar 2020

City dwellers, children and seniors take more antibiotics

City dwellers take more antibiotics than people in rural areas; children and the elderly use them more often than middle-aged people; the use of antibiotics decreases as education increases, but only in rich countries: These are three of the more striking trends identified by researchers of the NRW Forschungskolleg "One Health and Urban Transformation" at the University of Bonn in a recent study.

11 Mar 2020

VCU Health halts 30-year campaign that seized patients’ wages, put liens on homes

In one of the most sweeping moves yet by a nonprofit hospital system to reduce aggressive bill collection, VCU Health is halting seizure of patients' wages and removing thousands of liens against patients' homes, some dating to the 1990s.

11 Mar 2020

Dental shock: Six pulled teeth and one unexpected bill

The ache in three of Kathy McCracken's teeth started almost four years ago. It was hard for her to chew and swallow. She was sensitive to both hot and cold food.

10 Mar 2020

Comprehensive new clinical guideline on homelessness released

A collaborative approach is required to build healthcare pathways that will end homelessness in Canada, says the Homeless Health Research Network, a pan-Canadian team of experts including researchers from McGill University.

9 Mar 2020

Around the corner: 3D housing designed for the homeless and needy seniors

Tim Shea is counting the days until he can move into a new, 3D-printed house. Shea, 69, will be the first to live in one of six such rentals created by what some in the housing industry call a futuristic approach that could revolutionize home construction.

9 Mar 2020

Collaborative approach needed to build pathways to end homelessness in Canada

A collaborative approach is required to build health care pathways that will end homelessness in Canada. Clinicians can play a role by tailoring their interventions using a comprehensive new clinical guideline on homelessness published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

9 Mar 2020

Scientists may have found a way to prevent coronavirus spread

Just like any other virus, the coronavirus needs a host to survive. Viruses enter the cells of the human body to cause disease by attaching to a specific receptor site on the host cell membrane. To do this, they attach to proteins in the capsid through glycoproteins found in the envelope of the virus.

8 Mar 2020

Pence leaves out key details about health coverage of coronavirus testing

Amid ongoing concern about the new coronavirus, Vice President Mike Pence sought to assure Americans that their health insurance will cover the tests needed for diagnosis.

6 Mar 2020

Eye movements play functional role in memory retrieval, study shows

In a recent study, scientists at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute (RRI) found that research participants moved their eyes to determine whether they had seen an image before, and that their eye movement patterns could predict mistakes in memory.

5 Mar 2020

Corralling hard-to-reach voters with traveling voting machines

Instrumental string music filtered into the sprawling multipurpose room, where a dozen people rolled their hips, stretched their arms and twisted from side to side. Nearby, small groups of women huddled over elaborate needlepoint embroidery while men and women shuffled dominoes and mahjong tiles at game tables.

2 Mar 2020

Nursing home outbreak spotlights coronavirus risk in elder care facilities

An outbreak of coronavirus disease in a nursing home near Seattle is prompting urgent calls for precautionary tactics at America's elder care facilities, where residents are at heightened risk of serious complications from the illness because of the dual threat of age and close living conditions.

2 Mar 2020

Readers and tweeters dive into debate over ‘Medicare for All’

Your criticism about former Vice President Joe Biden’s "Medicare for All" cost estimates is spot-on but leaves out important savings.

28 Feb 2020

Kessler researchers test trunk-strengthening program for stroke survivors with hemiplegia

Researchers at Kessler Foundation are studying a potential application of a trunk-strengthening program to improve posture, balance, and mobility in individuals recovering from stroke.

26 Feb 2020

As the coronavirus spreads, Americans lose ground against other health threats

Antibiotics revolutionized the care of infections. Vaccines turned deadly childhood diseases into distant memories. Americans lived longer, healthier lives than their parents.

26 Feb 2020

U.S. medical panel thinks twice about pushing cognitive screening for dementia

A leading group of medical experts on Tuesday declined to endorse cognitive screening for older adults, fueling a debate that has simmered for years.

25 Feb 2020

Scientists join forces to combat coronavirus outbreak

Amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, scientists from around the globe race to fight the deadly virus. Now, a team of Harvard scientists has joined forces with Chinese experts to develop new therapies and prevent the further spread of the virus.

25 Feb 2020