Category: Substance Abuse
Overdose involving prescription pain medicines has surpassed automobile crashes as the leading cause of injury death in the state for residents ages 35 to 54.
Despite a decline over the past decade in the number of women who smoke during pregnancy, smoking is still a major cause of newborn deaths, early births and babies born with low birth weight.
Young people in romantic relationships during two years after high school are less likely to report heavy drinking and marijuana use.
Smoking inside Washington homes declines by more than 60% since 2000, according to a new study, but secondhand smoke exposure still higher in low-income homes.
A new Washington state tax will push the price of smoking to $7 a pack on average. Smokers who want to quit can get help at the state’s www.quitline.com.
Patients on highest doses were nine times more likely to overdose than those on lowest doses
The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has posted an updated version of its guide for finding drug and alcohol treatment programs near you. The guide provides a directory that you can search by city, state or zip code to find local programs and facilities that are licensed and certified in each state. [...]
Electronic cigarettes, or “e-cigarettes”, which are often sold as a safe alternative to regular cigarettes, give off toxic chemicals and carcinogens, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said today. The battery-operated devices are available at shopping malls and online and are marketed to young people. They contain nicotine, flavoring, and other chemicals. A laboratory analysis [...]
More than half of drug-related deaths in King County last year involved the use of prescription opiate drugs that are most often prescribed for pain control, according to a new report. Often the drugs are obtained without a prescription. The annual report was put together by the Community Epidemiology Work Group. a collaboration of public [...]
Hospitals lobby against proposed charity care rules The American Hospital Association has sent out a bulletin urging its members to press Congress not to pass legislation that would require hospitals to provide a minimal level of charitable care as a condition for keeping their tax-exempt status, New York Times reporter Robert Pear writes. “A formulaic, [...]
Washington state spends more than 15 percent of its budget coping with problems due to tobacco, alcohol and drug abuse, according to a new study. The study, conducted by National Center on Addiction and Drug Abuse, a private group at Columbia University in New York City, found that in 2005, the latest year for which [...]
Google wants to know why users search for health-related information Google wants to know what you have in mind when you’re searching for health information. Do you want to know about a headache because you have one or are you just interested? To find out, Google has is inviting users to participate in a new [...]
LocalHealthGuide is a health news and information web service for Seattle and the Puget Sound Region. We are independent and unaffiliated with any hospital, medical association or insurer. If you have questions or if your group has an upcoming event that you would like us to cover, please let us know by going to our "Contact Us" page and dropping us a note. -- Michael McCarthy, Editor
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Lost in translation: Lack of trained interpreters can lead to medical errors
Interpreter services at hospitals and other medical settings are often inadequate, forcing family members, including children, to step in, or the task falls to medical staff members who may not speak the language well.
Some insurers deny ER coverage to people who have been drinking
Laws in more than half the states permit insurers to deny payment for medical services related to alcohol or drug use. Faced with the prospect of not getting paid for care, some ER personnel sidestep the problem by simply not testing patients’ blood or urine for alcohol.
Travel insurance can protect your wallet — and your health on vacation
Think your regular health insurance policy will cover you if you get into medical trouble overseas?
Don’t bet on it.
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