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Martha Bebinger
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Martha Bebinger

Martha Bebinger

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Thursday

National

Addiction treatments in pharmacies could help combat the opioid crisis

WBUR

A small study shows pharmacists could play a key role in getting addiction medication directly into the hands of more people who need it. (Story aired on All Things Considered on Jan. 11, 2023.)

Addiction treatments in pharmacies could help combat the opioid crisis

Listen · 3:36
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Wednesday

Medical Treatments

Offering addiction treatments in pharmacies could help combat the opioid crisis

A small study shows pharmacists could play a key role in getting addiction medication directly into the hands of more people who need it, but there are a lot of barriers to expanding the project.

Offering addiction treatments in pharmacies could help combat the opioid crisis

Listen · 3:41
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Monday

National

Counterfeit pills contribute to the fentanyl deaths of young people

WBUR

Drug overdose deaths among teens and young adults have nearly doubled since 2019. There's concern that counterfeit pills, laced with fentanyl, sold via social media sites, are partly to blame.

Counterfeit pills contribute to the fentanyl deaths of young people

Listen · 4:03
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Thursday

Health

How an on-call addiction specialist at a Massachusetts hospital saved a life

WBUR

Salem Hospital has addiction specialist on call, and that came in handy when a patient got help after coming in for a different problem. (Story aired on Weekend Edition Sunday on Oct. 5, 2022.)

How an on-call addiction specialist at a Massachusetts hospital saved a life

Listen · 3:37
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Sunday

Health Care

How an on-call addiction specialist at a hospital saved a life

Most hospitals don't have addiction specialists on call. But Salem Hospital in Massachusetts does. We hear about one patient who got addiction help after coming in for a different problem.

How an on-call addiction specialist at a hospital saved a life

Listen · 4:26
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Friday

Hospitals have specialists on call for lots of diseases — but not addiction. Why not?

David Cave, a recovery coach who is part of an addiction specialty team at Salem Hospital, north of Boston, stands outside the emergency department. Jesse Costa/WBUR hide caption

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Jesse Costa/WBUR

Shots - Health News

Hospitals have specialists on call for lots of diseases — but not addiction. Why not?

WBUR

U.S. overdose deaths have exceeded 100,000 a year, yet few hospitals are equipped to treat patients with addiction. A new kind of treatment team connect patients with help before they're discharged.

Tuesday

Health

Encore: An animal tranquilizer is making street drugs even more dangerous

WBUR

The veterinary sedative xylazine is being mixed into illegal drugs and could be contributing to a rise in overdoses. (Story first aired on Weekend Edition Saturday on July 30, 2022.)

Encore: An animal tranquilizer is making street drugs even more dangerous

Listen · 3:44
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Friday

An animal tranquilizer is making street drugs even more dangerous

People bring bags of drugs into Tapestry Health's office if they suspect the drugs contain xylazine, a sedative that is starting to permeate illegal opioids and cocaine. Jesse Costa/WBUR hide caption

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Jesse Costa/WBUR

Shots - Health News

An animal tranquilizer is making street drugs even more dangerous

WBUR

The sedative xylazine is starting to permeate illegal opioids and cocaine. It does not respond to naloxone, an overdose reversal medication, and may be to blame for grisly injuries and infections.

An animal tranquilizer is making street drugs even more dangerous

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Tuesday

Climate

A block in Massachusetts is the test site for ways to cool cities in the summer

A single block in Chelsea, Mass., may offer a template for cities looking at what works — or doesn't — to cope with longer, hotter summers because of the warming climate.

A block in Massachusetts is the test site for ways to cool cities in the summer

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Thursday

Drug overdose deaths are at a record high. Here's what the White House plans to do

A drug overdose rescue kit is pictured in Buffalo, N.Y. The Biden administration plans to increase access to clean needles, fentanyl test strips and naloxone to combat drug overdose deaths. Carolyn Thompson/AP hide caption

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Carolyn Thompson/AP

Health

Drug overdose deaths are at a record high. Here's what the White House plans to do

WBUR

Harm reduction is one of four policies the Biden administration says must be immediately implemented in order to address the record high number of overdose deaths.

Health

The White House has a strategy for reducing drug overdose deaths

WBUR

Drug overdose deaths are at a record high — more than 100,000 in the latest single year. And the Biden administration has a plan to slow that epidemic by emphasizing harm reduction.

The White House has a strategy for reducing drug overdose deaths

Listen · 3:01
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Thursday

Purdue Pharma, Sacklers reach $6 billion deal with state attorneys general

The headquarters of Purdue Pharma LP, the maker of the painkiller OxyContin, are seen in Stamford, Conn. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

Health

Purdue Pharma, Sacklers reach $6 billion deal with state attorneys general

The deal, hashed out over weeks of intense negotiations, raises the amount paid by the Sacklers by more than $1 billion. In exchange, the family members win immunity from civil opioid lawsuits.

Purdue Pharma, Sacklers reach $6 billion deal with state attorneys general

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Tuesday

17 hospitals had no room for this COVID patient. He later died waiting for dialysis

A photo of Tony Tsantinis hangs in a collage set up for a celebration of his life on the final day that Athens Pizza in Brimfield, Mass., was open for business. Tsantinis, who owned the pizzeria for many years, died of COVID-19 last month when efforts to find space at a hospital that could offer him a higher level of care could not be found. Jesse Costa/WBUR hide caption

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Jesse Costa/WBUR

Shots - Health News

17 hospitals had no room for this COVID patient. He later died waiting for dialysis

WBUR

A beloved pizzeria owner in Brimfield, Mass., had COVID-19 and needed dialysis, but it wasn't available at the hospital where he died. The health system is "breaking down," a hospital CEO says.

17 hospitals had no room for this COVID patient. He later died waiting for dialysis

Listen · 4:57
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Thursday

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