Category: Health
-
New Report Says Challenges Remain Despite Decrease in Homelessness
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Since 2013, more homeless people have been living in permanent supportive housing and rapid re-housing than emergency shelters across the country, according to a new report released by the National Alliance to End Homelessness. This shift is largely due to the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act, a bill that…
-
Boston Medical Center Uses National Food Program to Prepare for Massachusetts Ban
BOSTON, Mass.—At the end of May, Boston Medical Center joined more than 800 organizations across the United States in an effort to reduce food waste through the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Food Recovery Challenge. The center is one of 80 institutions from New England taking part in the Challenge, which involves keeping track of food…
-
Youth Aging Out: An Interview with CFCS Executive Director Maria Mossaides
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Every year, hundreds of young adults become ineligible to continue receiving care from the Commonwealth’s Department of Children and Families due to age restrictions. Maria Mossaides, executive director of Cambridge Family and Children’s Service and co-chair of the Massachusetts Task Force on Youth Aging Out of Foster Care, works to help many of these…
-
Cambridge Panel Looks at Homelessness and Mental Illness
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Cambridge/Middlesex County (NAMI Cambridge-Middlesex) sponsored a panel called “Homelessness and Mental Illness” on May 6. The program featured authors, activists and professionals in the field working to assist those who find themselves both homeless and managing a psychiatric disorder. The panelists included Ana Miranda, author of the…
-
Debate Over Prescription Drug Addiction as Governor Declares Public Health Emergency
BOSTON, Mass.—On Thursday, 27 March 2014, Governor Deval Patrick declared a public health emergency in Massachusetts in response to the growing rate of opioid addiction. The declaration provides Department of Public Health Commissioner Cheryl Bartlett with emergency powers. She will work with the Public Health Council to take several actions to combat addiction and improve…
-
Cambridge Considers Adding More Public Porcelain
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—We have all been there: You are out on a Sunday afternoon, minding your own business, when suddenly … nature calls. Hopefully you are near a public restroom when it happens, or a business that allows the public to use its facilities. However, most shops ask you to buy something before using the bathroom,…
-
Protecting Our Right to the Right Medicine
President Obama’s healthcare reform is about to severely restrict drug treatment options for millions of America’s most vulnerable patients. This certainly wasn’t the president’s intention. But a new, preliminary regulatory ruling from the Department of Health and Human Services required by the 2010 healthcare reform law applies a one-size-fits-all approach to prescription medicines. And the…
-
Romneycare vs. Obamacare
When Mitt Romney spearheaded the healthcare law here in 2006, supporters shouted that “Romneycare” ushered us into the mythical realm usually reserved for unicorns: Healthcare reform that worked. Then the Feds joined the fray. Obamacare was upheld in a legendary 5-4 ruling by the Supreme Court this summer, so the Affordable Healthcare Act (AHA) jumped…