MASSACHUSETTS’ HEALTH CARE is the best in the nation, yet care is still out of reach for too many residents. From doctors visits to life-saving medications, too many people can’t access vital services when they need them. Fortunately, a proposal by the House is being considered now in the budget conference committee that would provide critical […]
Health
Posted inOpinion
Looking at 911 mental health calls in a new way
A SPOUSE, A SISTER, or a brother suffers an acute mental health crisis. Family members call 911 as a last resort. A Boston Globe analysis reports that these calls—there are a lot of them—initiate chains of events that can (and, on an average of five times each year in Massachusetts, do) culminate in a fatal police […]
Posted inOpinion
Incorporate mental health education into phys ed curriculum
GROWING UP IN MASSACHUSETTS, I witnessed the devastating impact of mental illness on individuals, families, and communities. After the death of a close friend to suicide, I sought to advocate for positive change within our mental health system. This legislative session, with S. 240 and H. 497, the Commonwealth has the opportunity to invest in […]
Posted inEducation
State moves to bring sex education out of the ‘90s
MASSACHUSETTS’ SEXUAL HEALTH curriculum remains stuck, at least on paper, in the Wild West educational landscape of 1999. But after some 24 years, and with more than a decade of pressure from advocates and a cohort of legislators, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is getting ready to make some changes. What those […]
Posted inHealth, Health Care, State House News Service
Healey gives life science firms $24.4m in tax breaks
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. MAURA HEALEY and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center announced $24.4 million in tax incentive awards Tuesday that they expect will help 43 life sciences companies create nearly 1,600 new jobs, and officials teased more “exciting” life sciences news around the corner as the BIO International Convention lands in Boston next […]
Posted inEnvironment
Proposed Cape Cod machine gun range draws fire
CAPE COD may be known for ocean breezes, waterbirds, and maybe some raucous seaside vacationers rolling through. But along one stretch, that could include the sound of more than a million bullets fired each year. A years-long dust-up between Cape residents, local government officials, environmental advocacy groups, and the Massachusetts Army National Guard spun into […]
Posted inTransportation
Barriers going up on bridge to prevent suicide jumps
THE FRENCH KING Bridge spans a pastoral stretch of the Connecticut River valley between the tiny towns of Gill and Erving along Route 2 in western Massachusetts. Since its construction 90 years ago, the bridge has drawn tourists who stop to admire majestic views from its pedestrian walkway. Unfortunately, its dramatic setting and dizzying heights […]
Posted inHealth, State House News Service
Poll: Abortion restrictions affect college decisions in Northeast
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE COMPETITION among colleges for students is intensifying, and state laws banning abortion are among the new considerations for students and families. A recent poll of students and families in nine Northeast states found that 76 percent of students do not want to attend school in a state where abortion is […]
Posted inHealth, Health Care, Opinion
Mass. can do a better job on sexual and relationship education
MASSACHUSETTS TEENS deserve to live healthy lives free from violence, but our public schools are failing them. As pediatricians, we see how the inadequacy of sex and relationship education in our schools puts children and teens at risk for sexual assault. We have cared for teens in our medical practices who have experienced sexual violence. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Juul to pay Mass. $41 million in multi-state settlement
MASSACHUSETTS WILL RECEIVE $41 million as part of a $462 million settlement between e-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc. and six states plus the District of Columbia for the company’s role promoting nicotine vaping among young people. The settlement announced Wednesday concludes lawsuits from New York, Massachusetts, California, Illinois, Colorado, New Mexico and Washington, DC, alleging […]