Martha Bebinger

The contents of the naloxone kit inside an AED box located in the VA West Roxbury cafeteria.

VA Adding Opioid Antidote To Defibrillator Cabinets For Quicker Overdose Response

Martha Bebinger

The overdose antidote naloxone could soon be available in more public places. The Veterans Administration is adding it to its automated defibrillator cabinets. Other institutions are following suit.

Allyson and Eddie, clients at the AAC Needle Exchange and Overdose Prevention Program in Cambridge, Mass., say they carry naloxone and try to never use drugs alone to reduce the risk of overdosing.

Fentanyl Adds A New Terror For People Abusing Opioids

Martha Bebinger

People who abuse opioids are well aware of the risk posed by fentanyl, a powerful anesthetic that's increasingly slipped into heroin and other drugs. They're coming up with new tactics to survive.

Anthony Salemi, of Everett, Mass., holds a photo of his brother Joe, who died from an overdose of fentanyl-laced heroin earlier this year.

Deaths Involving Fentanyl Rise As Curbing Illicit Supply Proves Tough

Martha Bebinger

Law enforcement is scrambling to get ahead of the opioid, which is far more chemically potent than heroin. Most illegal fentanyl is made in China. As soon as one version is outlawed, another pops up.

As More States Consider Legalizing, Questions About Pot And The Brain

Martha Bebinger

Studies suggest that smoking heavily in adolescence may affect brain function in adulthood, but there's a dearth of hard evidence for voters contemplating pot's long-term effects.

George Murray, who served in Vietnam, was able to access his medical benefits from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs relatively easily while living in Boston. But veterans living in other parts of Massachusetts, like Cape Cod, have more difficulty. Across the U.S., VA data show the unevenness in its benefit spending.

VA Data Show Disparities In Veteran Benefits Spending

Quil Lawrence

Nationwide veteran benefits data show a huge variation in coverage from state to state, and even within states. In Massachusetts, access to VA services changes dramatically from Boston to Cape Cod.

In 49 U.S. states, spotting the squished disc in this spinal MRI is still much easier than learning the price of the MRI in advance.

How Much Is That MRI, Really? Massachusetts Shines A Light

Martha Bebinger

A state law now requires insurers to reveal prices of their medical tests, and the variation is amazing, bargain hunters say. An MRI of the back is $614 at one place, $1,800 at another.

Dorothy Holmes, back home with her new dog, Jack.<em> </em>

Getting People Out Of Nursing Homes Turns Out To Be Complicated

Martha Bebinger

Some nursing home patients can go home again if they get the right, customized support. But making it happen takes time, even with organizational help from the pros. Some people need home renovations and rides to appointments. Others may need a guard dog — or a new home.