A new federal rule may offer some help to children living in subsidized housing who face exposure to toxic lead paint. The new U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development standard lowers the acceptable blood level to a threshold urged by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, allowing for quicker lead abatement. The issue […]
health
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
NIH recommends peanut-based foods for babies to prevent allergies
WASHINGTON — Most babies should start eating peanut-containing foods well before their first birthday, say guidelines released Thursday that aim to protect high-risk tots and other youngsters, too, from developing the dangerous food allergy. The new guidelines from the National Institutes of Health mark a shift in dietary advice, based on landmark research that found […]
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Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Sorry, cranberries may not be a cure for urinary infections
CHICAGO — Another folk medicine remedy bites the dust. Cranberry capsules didn’t prevent or cure urinary infections in nursing home residents in a study challenging persistent unproven claims to the contrary. The research adds to decades of conflicting evidence on whether cranberries in any form can prevent extremely common bacterial infections, especially in women. Many […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Local & State
EPA focuses on Lewiston-Auburn landlords in new lead paint effort
LEWISTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched an effort to clean up lead paint in Lewiston-Auburn. Curt Spaulding, the EPA’s regional administrator in Boston, said the effort was unique to Lewiston-Auburn, the area with the highest number of lead-poisoned children in the state. The agency has put painting and renovation contractors, landlords and […]
Posted inLocal & State
Maine EMS awards honor local nurses, paramedics and doctors
AUGUSTA — A former longtime director of Maine’s Emergency Management System and several local doctors, a nurse and paramedics, were among those honored during a ceremony at the State House on Tuesday. Recognized during the annual State EMS awards in the Hall of Flags were: • LifeFlight’s Lewiston base manager, Lori Metayer, a paramedic and […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Political Grind
Lawmakers override LePage veto on mental health services
AUGUSTA — An effort by Republican Gov. Paul LePage to move forward with a possible change in eligibility rules that would have reduced mental health services for thousands in Maine was rejected by the Legislature on Friday. Lawmakers in the House and the Senate overrode LePage’s veto of a bill that sets a moratorium on […]
Posted inLocal & State
By one vote Maine Senate agrees to expand Medicaid, bill faces all-but-certain veto
AUGUSTA – By a single vote Tuesday night, Sen. Tom Saviello, R-Wilton, secured approval of his proposal to expand the state’s Medicaid system, MaineCare, by using federal funds to buy private insurance for the state’s poorest residents. But Saviello was joined by only two of his Republican colleagues, as well as the entire caucus of […]
Posted inLocal & State
Wilton Republican wants to fight drug crisis with Medicaid expansion
The move to expand is backed by the state’s hospitals, as well as advocates for the poor and a large portion of Maine’s law-enforcement community. “Increasing access to MaineCare coverage means increasing access to mental health counseling, drug addiction treatment and counseling and preventive health care, providing measurable cost-savings and beneficial health outcomes across Maine,” Saviello […]
Posted inLocal & State
Advocates to state: Get the lead out, quickly impose new standards
AUGUSTA — A new state lead-poisoning standard passed into law in 2015 is sitting in limbo, according to lawmakers and advocates who say Maine should move quickly on the change to better protect children from exposure to the neurotoxin. The change, based on legislation sponsored by Sen. Amy Volk, R-Scarborough, and Rep. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, would […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
America’s Health Rankings report says Maine is getting healthier
PORTLAND — The America’s Health Rankings report says Maine climbed from 20th to 15th among states this year, in large part because of improved toddler immunization rates. The Minnesota-based United Health Foundation measures each state’s health by examining 27 factors such as smoking rates, infectious diseases and obesity. The Portland Press Herald reports Maine’s immunization […]