Search Results

Keyword search: health

By CHRIS LISINSKI

BOSTON – Infection control plans, uniform patient transfer forms, heightened scrutiny of private equity and much more headline a compromise long-term care reform bill that lawmakers expect to send to Gov. Maura Healey this week.Nearly a month after...

By MADISON SCHOFIELDand ALEXA LEWIS

An extensive series of safety standards being proposed by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is leading to howls of disapproval from rural fire departments, whose leaders are warning there’s no way they can implement the changes...

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

More towns across Franklin County have started the process of installing outdoor naloxone cabinets to increase accessibility to the life-saving drug.The Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) through its Collaborative Public Health District...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON — The Department of Public Health is moving on multiple fronts to address the elevated risks of mosquito-borne illnesses this year, including spraying pesticides from trucks in southern Worcester County and from planes in Plymouth County...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON – State officials plan to launch a voluntary program by the end of the year to support health care workers recovering from substance use disorder and other mental health conditions.The forthcoming Unified Recovery and Monitoring Program...

By ADA DENENFELD KELLY

ATHOL—Eight years ago, Mariah O’Leary lost her fiancé to addiction. This past February, she lost her best friend as well.O’Leary – who identifies as someone in recovery – sent in photos of her late fiancé and friend, as well as photos of her and her...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

Massachusetts is about to get a new law to shield firefighters from toxic chemicals contained in their protective equipment and eventually phase out the use of PFAS that’s been linked to cancer.Gov. Maura Healey announced Wednesday that she plans to...

Due to smoke from Canadian wildfires, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has issued an air quality alert effective until at least 11:59 p.m. tonight in five counties in western and central Massachusetts.Smoke is...

Staff Report

GARDNER – Heywood Healthcare recently received high ratings for its Gardner and Athol hospitals through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).The federal agency recently released the annual Hospital Quality Star Ratings, which evaluates...

By ALEXA LEWIS

SPRINGFIELD — When shift change rolls around at the Baystate Medical Center, across from the organization’s corporate offices, Peter Banko can be found sitting on a bench nearby. When physicians, nurses or other staff notice him there, they often ask...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON — As frustrations between House and Senate Democrats mounted Wednesday night into Thursday morning, House Speaker Ronald Mariano decided to take his hospital oversight bill and a prescription drug bill that the Senate has prioritized off the...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

WILLIAMSBURG — Over the period of a single year, Osa and Christopher Flory found themselves cycling through three different primary care physicians.After their longtime doctor retired, the Williamsburg couple found another Cooley Dickinson Hospital...

By ALISON KUZNITZ and SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON – Aiming to save more Bay Staters from fatal opioid-related overdoses, the Senate passed an addiction and substance use disorder bill Tuesday featuring a controversial policy allowing cities and towns to open safe injection sites.Senate...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON – Gov. Maura Healey gave her OK to sweeping statewide policy changes Monday afternoon as part of the overdue fiscal year 2025 budget, signing free community college, online Mass Lottery products, free rides on regional transit authorities and...

By DOMENIC POLI

With the state Department of Public Health having reported an adult case of measles in Worcester County earlier this month following international travel, public health officials are advising there are measures people can take to reduce their...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON – Top Senate Democrats ruled that policies with majority support meant to target the toxic and cancer-causing chemicals known as PFAS were outside the scope of a major health care bill that the chamber passed last week, before making a...

By DOMENIC POLI

ORANGE — Later this year, North Quabbin residents can expect the Health Center Plaza to have an outpatient clinic providing specialized mental health services for child victims of sexual abuse and their families.The Children’s Advocacy Center of...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

Senate Democrats will vote Thursday on a voluminous health care oversight reform bill inspired by the crisis at Steward Health Care as well as broader industry trends inflicting pressure on hospitals, providers and patients.Nearly two months after the...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

The House chair of the Elder Affairs Committee has lambasted the Senate’s months-long delay in taking up a long-term care reform bill, but his Senate co-chair expressed optimism about the legislation reaching Gov. Maura Healey’s desk this session.“We...

By EMILEE KLEIN

Two bills presented by Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa that passed last week will support families who have experienced pregnancy loss by adding paid pregnancy loss leave to the Massachusetts Earned Sick Time Law and establishing a public information campaign...

By LEAH VERESS

Alice Colman recalls the day a routine fennel harvest turned into a wake-up call. As she stood in her field, carefully examining a plant’s feathery leaves, she felt herself growing increasingly frustrated with the crop’s appearance. When she kneeled...