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Why these doctors started writing medical ‘prescriptions’ for solar power
Martha Bebinger, NPR, Dec. 9
When patients at Boston Medical Center said they could not afford the electricity needed to power their breathing assistance machines, recharge their wheelchairs, or keep their refrigerators plugged in, one physician started looking for a solution. A new pilot program, Clean Power Prescription, gives patients a monthly credit of about $50 on their utility bills. For patient Kiki Polk, who was nine months pregnant when she received the assistance, it meant she was able to keep the air conditioning running at her house. Without it, she faced the risks of overheating during pregnancy which include added stress on her heart and potential risks to the fetus.
How should the opioid settlements be spent? Those hit hardest often don’t have a say
Geoff Mulvihill, The Associated Press, Dec. 9
A new analysis found that people with substance use disorder are not getting a formal say into how states are spending opioid lawsuit settlement money. The nearly $50 billion in settlements are mostly required to be spent on fighting the opioid crisis but offer flexibility on how to do it. In some areas, advisory groups are not required to have seats for someone who is using or has used drugs. Some advocates say that could explain why some of the money has gone towards efforts they don’t consider to be proven ways to save lives from overdose, including equipment to scan jail inmates for contraband and drug-sniffing police dogs.
Color blind: Why Portugal has no idea how bad racial disparities are
Usha Lee McFarling, STAT News, Dec. 10
Portugal is ahead of the United States on almost every health metric but it falls short in one crucial area: it does not collect data by race. That obscures the extent of health disparities and the impact of racism on health outcomes. The gap in this research in part is due to a common mindset that in Portugal, “we are all Portuguese.” It also reflects a discomfort in discussing race and concerns about violating privacy and increasing discrimination. However critics argue it also reveals a lack of interest in understanding marginalized communities and the problems they face. The few studies that do exist suggest that there are health disparities, including that those with lower education are more likely to have worse health.
Maternal mortality review panels are in the spotlight. Here’s what they do
Laura Ungar, The Associated Press, Dec. 5
Maternal mortality review committees were created as part of an effort to reduce the United State’s persistently high maternal mortality rate. The state panels of experts investigate and learn from each mother’s death, often doing their work out of the public eye. However, these committees have been in the spotlight recently in three states with strict abortion laws. Georgia dismissed all members of its committee in November after information about deaths being reviewed leaked to a news organization. Texas’ committee won’t review cases from the first two years after the state banned nearly all abortions. In Idaho, the state let its panel disband in 2023, but reinstated it earlier this year.
Rural governments often fail to communicate with residents who aren’t proficient in English
Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez, KFF Health News, Dec. 10
While language access is a federal protection, more targeted state and local laws have been enacted over the past few years. They are mostly concentrated in urban or suburban areas, often leaving out rural areas that are growing increasingly diverse. Advocates said that can create public health and safety concerns. For example, a 2023 survey of immigrants found that those who were limited in their ability to speak English were twice as likely to be uninsured as immigrants who were proficient in English, and they had worse health outcomes.