News
Trump administration slashes funding for substance abuse and mental health programs nationwide
1+ hour, 13+ min ago (564+ words) By ALI SWENSON, Associated Press The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on Tuesday night canceled some 2,000 grants representing nearly $2 billion in funding, according to an administration official with knowledge of the cuts who was not authorized to discuss…...
Flu, COVID cases rise in Lowell, region
1+ hour, 51+ min ago (534+ words) LOWELL " There's still time to protect yourself against the circulating influenza A strain. Cases are rising across the commonwealth, according to the state's Massachusetts Virtual Epidemiologic Network, commonly known as MAVEN. Lowell's Board of Health discussed the rising cases of…...
Hundreds of laid-off researchers at US workplace safety center are being reinstated
5+ hour, 1+ min ago (419+ words) In April, President Donald Trump's administration gutted the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, where scientists, engineers and others conduct research and recommend ways to prevent work-related injury, illness, disability and death. Government officials laid off close to 900 of…...
Popular weight-loss drugs shouldn’t carry suicide warnings, FDA says
1+ day, 6+ hour ago (153+ words) Federal regulators on Tuesday told drugmakers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly to remove label warnings about potential suicidal thoughts and behaviors from their blockbuster weight-loss medications. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said a comprehensive review "found no increased" risk related…...
Lowell’s Washington School cleared for lead contamination
1+ day, 16+ hour ago (850+ words) LOWELL " During separate meetings, both the School Committee and the Board of Health weighed in on suspected lead contamination at a worksite at Washington Elementary School, with the BOH requesting protocols on future projects. At the Nov. 19 School Committee meeting,…...
Editorial: A flu shot can still dilute effects of current strain
1+ week, 1+ day ago (875+ words) Flu cases in Boston and across Massachusetts continue to ratchet up, due in part to a new variant, as public health officials remind everyone that it's not too late to get inoculated. "This flu season, we're concerned about this new…...
US cuts the number of vaccines recommended for every child, a move slammed by physicians
1+ week, 2+ day ago (864+ words) By ALI SWENSON and LAURAN NEERGAARD, Associated Press Trump administration officials said the overhaul, a move long sought by'Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., won't result in families who want the vaccines losing access to them, and said insurance will continue…...
EPA says it will propose drinking water limit for perchlorate, but only because court ordered it
1+ week, 2+ day ago (643+ words) The agency said it will seek input on how strict the limit should be for perchlorate, which is particularly dangerous for infants, and require utilities to test. The agency's move is the latest in a more than decade-long battle over…...
Connector reports health insurance enrollment churn
1+ week, 2+ day ago (584+ words) The number of Massachusetts residents who dropped insurance accessed through the state Health Connector was roughly balanced out by those who signed up for plans through the state exchange. Nearly 23,000 Bay Staters terminated their coverage so far this open enrollment…...
Feds award Massachusetts $162 million for rural health
2+ week, 1+ day ago (535+ words) Massachusetts secured about $162 million in federal dollars Monday to bolster rural health care, part of the first round of funding released in a five-year program. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced it had awarded money to all 50 states through…...