Number of Mainers who died from a drug overdose last year outpaced record set in 2021

Health care

Published
January 26, 2023

Number of Mainers who died from a drug overdose last year outpaced record set in 2021

Significantly impacting fatal overdoses is the introduction of xylazine and nonpharmaceutical tramadol. Both drugs showed up on toxicology reports for the first time in 2021, almost always in combination with fentanyl.
Published
January 24, 2023

Bill would extend MaineCare health coverage to all low-income noncitizens

House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross submitted a similar bill last session, but it did not advance out of committee after Gov. Janet Mills funded a smaller expansion, limited to noncitizens who are pregnant or under the age of 21.
Published
January 23, 2023

U.S. proposes once-a-year COVID shots for most Americans

U.S. health officials want to make COVID-19 vaccinations more like the annual flu shot.
Published
January 20, 2023

Portland officials warn of spike in overdoses

The city urges residents to be aware of how they can access the overdose reversing drug naloxone as overdose numbers climb.
Published
January 19, 2023

Lewiston-based palliative care fellowship for nurse practitioners will have a ‘very direct and very meaningful’ impact, Sen. King says

A nurse practitioner fellowship program in palliative care at Lewiston-based Androscoggin Home Healthcare and Hospice will be able to continue another year and add a second fellow thanks to over $230,000 in federal funding secured by U.S. Sen. Angus King.
Published
January 14, 2023

Panel recommends increases in funding, benefits to boost EMS in Maine

A report from the Blue Ribbon Commission to Study Emergency Medical Services calls for more than $70 million in state funding per year.
Published
January 11, 2023

COVID-related hospitalizations remain steady as new subvariant dominates

The omicron subvariant, XBB, now accounts for about 70% of all COVID-19 cases in the Northeast. While it is more contagious than previous subvariants, local hospital officials say they are not seeing a spike in hospitalizations.
Published
January 10, 2023

Cries for help pour into 988 mental health, suicide line

Depression rates in U.S. adults, overdose deaths and suicide rates have been on the rise.
Published
January 9, 2023

Treat obesity in kids early with medication, surgery, new guidance says

Left untreated, obesity can lead to lifelong health problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes and depression.
Published
January 4, 2023

New COVID-19 variant spreads in Maine, but hospitalizations not expected to spike

Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC, said a wall of immunity should help prevent the outbreaks experienced last winter.