(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Gun violence is an epidemic in the United States, with more than 45,000 firearm fatalities in 2020 alone, a figure that has steadily risen over the past decade.
Category: Legal Issues
First in Nation to Implant New Device for Chronic Back Pain
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Advancing options for persons living with chronic back pain, UC San Diego Health has completed the first surgery in the nation to implant a device that uses neurostimulation in the form of electrical pulses to key nerves and muscles responsible for stabilizing the lower back.
NY Eviction Moratorium Extension ‘Vital’ to Protect Tenants, Landlords
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – The New York State Senate and Assembly will vote Wednesday on whether to extend the COVID-19 emergency moratorium on residential and commercial evictions….
Water Crisis Took Toll on Flint Adults’ Physical, Mental Health
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – ITHACA, N.Y. – Since state austerity policies initiated a potable water crisis seven years ago in Flint, Michigan, public health monitoring has focused on potential developmental deficits….
Immunity Passports: Ethical Conflict and Opportunity
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Immunity passports are a means of registering whether an individual has developed immunity to COVID-19 and is therefore unlikely to either catch or spread the disease.
Harmful Microbes Found on Sewer Pipe Walls
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Can antibiotic-resistant bacteria escape from sewers into waterways and cause a disease outbreak?
Passage of 2016 Fireworks Law Ignites Increase in Fireworks-related Injuries in West Virginia
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – MORGANTOWN, W. Va.— All those pops and crackles ripping through your neighborhood at night could come with unwanted consequences – at the firework enthusiast’s expense.
From Immunity Passports to Vaccination Certificates for COVID-19: Scientific, Equitable and Legal Challenges
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – WASHINGTON – As governments from countries including the U.S., Germany, Italy and the U.K., explore the possibility of issuing so-called “immunity passports,” a leading global health and legal scholar warns….
What Patients Should Know About Medical Malpractice
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Many studies have revealed that medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the United States, falling just behind heart disease and cancer.
Does Sleep Deprivation Promote Medical Malpractice Lawsuits?
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – HOUSTON – (March 26, 2019) – Can sleep loss in hospital patients lead to an uptick in medical malpractice lawsuits? A new study from researchers at Rice University and Baylor University suggests that is indeed the case.
States with Strict Gun Laws See Increase in Homicides When They Border States with Lax Ones
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – PHILADELPHIA— Gun-related homicide rates in states with strict gun laws increase when neighboring states have less restrictive laws as a result of gun trafficking across state lines….
Facial Trauma Malpractice Lawsuits Favor Physicians
(HeathNewsDigest.com) – Southern courts favor physicians in malpractice lawsuits over facial trauma treatment, while courts in the Midwest favor patients, according to a Rutgers study.
Penn Experts in Law and Ethics Call for Safeguards if Medicaid Work Requirement Policies Prevail
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – PHILADELPHIA — When the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced controversial policies inviting states to establish work requirements as a condition to receive Medicaid, many in the medical community opposed it.
The Role of Health in Climate Lawsuits
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – WASHINGTON, DC —Researchers at the George Washington University (GW) are at the forefront of analyzing how climate lawsuits shape the nation’s response to climate change.
Cannabis Is Legal in California: What’s Different?
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – It’s been more than three months since sales of recreational cannabis were made legal in California. While the biggest effects of this emergent industry are still unknown, some are already being seen, and there’s little question that more are coming.
Prosecuting Background Check and Straw Purchase Violations Depends on State Laws
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – A new study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that prosecutions in Pennsylvania for violating the state’s straw purchase law increased by nearly 16 times….
All Time High: Nationwide Gallup Poll Shows Two-Thirds Of Americans Support Marijuana Legalization
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Washington, DC: A record percentage of Americans, including majorities of Democrats, Independents, and, for the first time ever, Republicans believe that the adult use of marijuana should be legal
Westmoreland County Doctor Charged with Illegally Writing 332 Prescriptions for Hydrocodone
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – HARRISBURG — Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced the arrest of a Westmoreland County doctor for illegally writing and filling 332 prescriptions in family members’ names for the narcotic Hydrocodone.
Can Patients Make Recordings of Medical Encounters? What Does the Law Say?
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – For many clinicians, it is possible that some of their patients are recording their office visit, with or without permission.
Increased Facial and Head Injuries after Motorcycle Helmet Law Change in Michigan
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Skull fractures and other head and facial injuries from motorcycle trauma in Michigan have doubled since that state relaxed its motorcycle helmet laws