The number of overdoses that involve both fentanyl and stimulants like cocaine and meth is growing fast. One way people who use drugs can protect themselves is by using test strips to check for the presence of fentanyl in other drugs. Mark Lennihan/AP hide caption
Nicole Blackmon says she is mourning two children, the teenager she lost to gun violence and her stillborn baby. She is suing Tennessee because she says abortion bans interfered with her care. Splash Cinema/Center for Reproductive Rights hide caption
New COVID-19 vaccines received the backing of a panel of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tuesday. The shots will be available across the country later this week. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption
Another round of COVID-19 vaccines is on the way. The Food and Drug Administration approved vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna that target an omicron subvariant called XBB.1.5. Vaccination campaigns, like this one in San Rafael, Calif., in 2022, could resume soon. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption
Jason Silverman, on the exercise bike, and his friend Melissa Mills go to the gym together when they hang out. The pair are part of the Friendship Project in Framingham, Massachusetts. Priyanka Dayal McCluskey/WBUR hide caption
Jess Hegstrom, a public health worker for Lewis and Clark County in Montana, tries to start conversations about suicide risk at gun shows. "I'm not here to waggle my finger at you," she says. Aaron Bolton/Montana Public Radio hide caption
Lab data suggests the new COVID-19 booster shots should protect against a variant that concerns scientists. The boosters should be widely available this fall at pharmacies, like the one seen in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn borough in New York City. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images hide caption
Years after one class of flame retardants was phased out, researchers detected other, similar flame-retardant compounds in U.S. women's breast milk in a recent study. Ceneri/Getty Images hide caption
Dr. Laura Laursen, an OB-GYN at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, has treated an influx of abortion patients from outside Illinois after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Marc Monaghan hide caption
Rep. Ann Johnson, a Democrat from Houston, authored a Texas law that doctors say will be life-saving for women with two pregnancy complications. She worked across the aisle with the author of S.B. 8. Eric Gay/AP hide caption
Dr. Austin Dennard at her home in Dallas in May. She is one of 13 patients and two other doctors suing Texas over its abortion bans. LM Otero/AP hide caption
A patient prepares to take mifepristone, for a medication abortion. A federal appeals court ruled to impose new restrictions on the drug Wednesday but the ruling will not take effect until the Supreme Court weighs in. Charlie Riedel/AP hide caption
Nurse practitioner Arin Kramer prepares to insert a contraceptive implant under the skin of I'laysia Vital's upper arm, as physician assistant Andrea Marquez (rear) offers support. Vital will attend college at Texas Southern University in Houston, where most abortions are banned. April Dembosky/KQED hide caption
Social worker Tanzila Uddin leads a workshop on journaling at a senior center in Queens Village in NYC. These gatherings can identify older adults who may need more mental health treatment. Ashley Milne-Tyte for NPR hide caption
EMTs help a patient in Austin, Texas, this week. The man had passed out near the state capitol and was dehydrated. Cities with few trees and areas of shade are hotter during heat waves. Brandon Bell/Getty Images hide caption
Plaintiffs Amanda Zurawski (far left), Austin Dennard, Taylor Edwards, and Elizabeth Weller speak together at the Travis County Courthouse on July 20, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
A person with addiction holds a bottle of buprenorphine, a medicine that prevents withdrawal sickness in people trying to stop using opiates, as he prepares to take a dose in a clinic in Olympia, Wash (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Ted S. Warren/AP hide caption
RSV can be dangerous for infants. A new treatment to prevent the respiratory illness is on track to be available this fall. JGI/Tom Grill/Getty Images/Tetra images RF hide caption
Dr. Rebecca Rogers practices primary care at the Cambridge Health Alliance in Somerville, Mass. During a recent appointment, she went over hydration tips with her patient Luciano Gomes, who works in construction. Martha Bebinger/WBUR hide caption
At a December 2022 meeting, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors decided to use $63,000 of opioid settlement funds to help cover a budget shortfall. Since settlement payments will arrive annually till 2038, they plan to use it as an ongoing revenue source. KFF/Screengrab of Dec. 13, 2022, Mendocino County Board of Supervisors meeting hide caption
When patients arrive with heat stroke, medical teams quickly cover them from head to toe with bagged or even loose ice to lower their core temperatures back below 100 Fahrenheit, according to Dr. Jeffrey Elder, who leads emergency management at the New Orlean's largest hospital, University Medical Center. ER staffers also use misting fans on patients and administer IV fluids for rapid rehydration. Drew Hawkins/Gulf States Newsroom hide caption
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 are ticking up. But even if illnesses keep rising, it appears unlikely that they will hit previous summer peaks. EMS-Forster-Productions/Getty Images hide caption