A slender, black, rectangle, the Juul fits easily in the palm of your hand. You don’t light it, you trigger it with a click of a finger. The mist that is exhaled is so fine it’s hard to see. The nicotine is delivered via a pod the size of a […]
Read MoreA public health crisis?
‘A Failure of Public Health’: Sexually Transmitted Diseases Rise as Health Budgets Fall
Health officials are tracking record-breaking rates of sexually transmitted disease, including a resurgence of some infections which had been considered rare, such as gonorrhea and syphilis. These STDs are on the rise amid cuts to public health budgets dedicated to testing, prevention, and public outreach. In the Ohio Valley, for example, […]
Read MoreLessons Learned as Charleston Needle Exchange Decertified
If you’ve been paying attention, you know by now that Appalachia is in the middle of an opioid addiction crisis. You may have seen suffering with substance abuse disorders in your own neighborhood. But John Law, spokesman for the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, says what isn’t as visible could be just […]
Read MoreAppalachia Has Highest Risk of HIV & Hepatitis in Nation. The Proposed Solutions Are Controversial
The 10 counties in the United States most at risk for an HIV outbreak are all in Central Appalachia, according to a 2016 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Compiled after a 2015 outbreak of the disease in southern Indiana, the report found that places with a combination of […]
Read MoreQuick Response Teams Aim to Get More Opioid Overdose Patients into Treatment
One West Virginia city is trying a new approach to persuade more overdose patients to seek treatment. The idea is simple: Within 24 to 72 hours of an overdose, a “quick response team” fans out into the community and tries to meet with the patient to discuss treatment options. A handful […]
Read MoreCan West Virginia Shift Its Attitude Toward the Opioid Crisis?
Shawna Hardy grew up in the early 80s “on the hill.” That’s how family referred to her Grandma Helen’s property, a quasi-farm situated atop a steep hill in North-Central West Virginia. Her family lived in a trailer next to Grandma Helen, separated by a large field outlined with thick aluminum […]
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