AS A HOSPITAL CEO, I can see the far-reaching effects of the pandemic on the emotional well-being of a community. I see it in the children and adults who visit […]
Health
Posted inHealth Care
Patient advocates push for curbs on ‘step therapy’
JENNA GREEN, of Mansfield, was 31, active, and running a small business when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. A neurologist prescribed a medication, but the day she scheduled an […]
Posted inHealth Care
FDA’s controversial approval of Alzheimer’s drug draws calls for reform
WHEN MASS GENERAL BRIGHAM announced two weeks ago that it would not offer a controversial new drug treatment for Alzheimer’s disease to patients, it was an important statement from the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker calls up Guard to help at prisons, schools
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Tuesday called up 450 members of the National Guard to fill in for state correctional workers who have refused to get vaccinated and to support a […]
Posted inHealth Care
Study says 140,000 children lost a caregiver to COVID
A STUDY PUBLISHED by the American Academy of Pediatrics in the journal Pediatrics on Thursday quantifies yet another tragic outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic: orphanhood. The study used modeling to […]
Posted inOpinion
Vaccines are a community responsibility
IT HAS BEEN over a month since our two unions announced support for vaccine mandates for 30,000 members across Massachusetts. Since then, we have seen a host of other employers […]
Posted inEducation
Delays hinder state’s pooled testing program for schools
WHEN THE AMHERST-PELHAM regional school district instituted a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the school committee gave staff an alternative: they could get tested regularly instead. But the district was counting on […]
Posted inUncategorized
No more Band-Aids on broken public health system
WE KNOW MASSACHUSETTS has a broken local public health system because our organizations represent the thousands of health directors, board of health members, public health nurses, and other staff and […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Baker not worried about staff shortages due to vaccine mandate
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH LESS THAN A MONTH until his vaccination mandate for state employees takes effect, Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday he was not worried about creating staffing […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
DC spending bill bad news for Mass. pharmaceutical sector and patients
ON SEPTEMBER 15, the House Ways & Means Committee, chaired by Massachusetts Rep. Richard Neal, endorsed prescription drug price controls as one way to pay for the massive $3.5 trillion […]
Posted inHealth Care
House approves vaccine mandate for members, employees after heated debate
AFTER AN UNUSUALLY testy and personal debate on the House floor, representatives on Thursday approved an order mandating vaccines for all House members, staff, and officers. The vote was 131-28, almost entirely along […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
A roadmap for mask rules in Massachusetts schools
ON AUGUST 24, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved a proposal by the commissioner of education to implement a mask mandate for Massachusetts schools that will last until […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Opioid epidemic grinds on in Mass. at elevated rates
This research brief was prepared by the Boston Indicators Project. AS THE COVID-19 pandemic continues to fill headlines, the opioid epidemic grinds on with few signs of improvement. In this […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
SJC upholds $21m verdict against Phillip Morris
MASSACHUSETTS” HIGHEST COURT on Wednesday upheld a $21 million jury verdict that cigarette company Phillip Morris will have to pay the family of a Lynn man who died from smoking-related […]
Posted inTransportation
School bus company pays $165,000 to settle idling charges
A SCHOOL BUS company agreed to pay $165,000 in fines and court costs to settle charges that its drivers routinely allowed their diesel-powered buses to idle for as much as […]
Posted inEducation
Classes in Melrose already quarantined
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MELROSE HAS already quarantined at least two classrooms for a COVID-19 outbreak, but Gov. Charlie Baker said Wednesday a return to remote learning as an option […]
Posted inOpinion
Put an end to ‘period poverty’
YOUTH WHO MENSTRUATE across Massachusetts are outraged by the current period poverty crisis. Period poverty is a new term coined for a longstanding issue: the inequitable cost of menstrual products. […]
Posted inUncategorized
State House vaccine mandates raise questions for lawmakers
AS THE MASSACHUSETTS House and Senate – like so many private companies – ponder a return to the office, the Democratic leaders of both bodies say they plan to impose a […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker expands vaccine mandates
LESS THAN A MONTH after Gov. Charlie Baker announced a COVID vaccine mandate for all nursing home workers, the administration expanded the order to include home health aides and other […]
Posted inEducation
Early ed commissioner seeks childcare mask mandates
A WEEK AFTER state education officials approved a temporary mask mandate in public schools, a separate state board will be asked to approve a mask mandate for staff and children over age […]
Posted inUncategorized
Unclear whether VaxMillions increased vaccinations
STATE OFFICIALS are trying to spin the VaxMillions Giveaway as a success, but it’s very hard to say whether the lottery game actually did what it was intended to do […]
Posted inUncategorized
Battling over religion and vaccines
WITH THE RISE of the Delta variant of COVID-19, the vaccination strategy in Massachusetts is shifting from cajoling, pleading, and incentivizing (gift cards, free coffees, and lottery prizes) to more […]
Posted inHealth Care
What does full FDA approval of Pfizer vaccine mean?
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here. THIRTY PERCENT of unvaccinated American adults say they’re waiting for the COVID-19 vaccines […]
Posted inNews Analysis, Politics
Baker plays catch-up on vaccines, masks
CHARLIE BAKER has fashioned a Teflon political brand by bringing a drama-averse, middle-of-the-road bearing to issues that often incite passions and polarization. That approach seems closely tied to his persistent […]