Life expectancy fell a ‘shocking’ 1.8 years in 2020; COVID not sole culprit
WASHINGTON - U.S. life expectancy fell by an “unprecedented and shocking” 1.8 years between 2019 and 2020, a dramatic drop that experts say can only partly be blamed on the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Teletherapy expanded during the pandemic, but is it effective for behavioral health?
PHOENIX – Telehealth has been a widely used resource during the pandemic, but some experts continue to weigh the pros and cons of treating certain conditions from a distance – specifically mental illness and substance use.
Some Arizona downwinders who blame illnesses on nuclear testing remain uncompensated
KINGMAN – Residents in lower Mohave County who attribute their illnesses to the nuclear testing at the Nevada National Security Site continue to be left out of RECA compensation. New legislation is being introduced to include them in the compensation.
Q&A: How PRJKT RUBY gets contraceptives to women in need in the U.S. and developing countries
Inspired by his daughters, Arizonan Peter Ax created a discreet and easy way to get birth control to women in need in the U.S. and donate money toward improving reproductive care in the developing world.
Bill banning most abortions after 15 weeks passes Arizona Senate, heads to the House
Senate Bill 1164, which would ban abortions after 15 weeks – similar to a Mississippi law now before the Supreme Court – was passed by Republicans in the state Senate and now goes to the House.
Gift of life: People of color urged to register for organ donation
PHOENIX – About 60% of the 106,000 patients awaiting an organ donation in the U.S. are people of color, with Black, Hispanic and Asian patients disproportionately represented. To overcome such disparities, advocates at the national and local level are doing more to encourage people of color to become donors.
Navy reinforcements help Valleywise Health amid health care worker shortage
PHOENIX – Seven members of the Navy have joined Valleywise Health Medical Center to support overburdened frontline health care workers, per a request from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The team will stay for a month.
Arizona, national traffic deaths jumped in 2021; state outpaced nation
WASHINGTON - Arizona traffic deaths rose 18.4% in the first nine months of 2021 compared to the year before, far outpacing the national 12% increase in the same period, new federal data show. The death tolls were the highest since 2006.
Crop talk: UArizona scientists learning how plants communicate with their environment
TUCSON – Scientists at the University of Arizona are testing how plants respond to their environment. Their goal is to engineer plants so they can withstand the effects of climate change.
Mothers of children who are Black and autistic help other families find their voices
The African American Conference on Disability, which wraps up this week in Arizona, included a session in which two mothers of children who are Black and autistic advised other families of color about getting support and services amid longstanding disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of autism.
Experts spotlight disparities in contraception, family planning as Supreme Court weighs key abortion case
PHOENIX – As the U.S. Supreme Court weighs a key case that could scale back or overturn Roe v. Wade, abortion rights advocates are spotlighting disparities in family planning and health care access, noting women of color and those living in poverty are most likely to be affected by any change in law.
Blood providers call for donors amid first national blood crisis
PHOENIX – Amid what the American Red Cross is calling the worst blood shortage in more than a decade, blood providers are urgently calling for donors. Vitalant, an Arizona nonprofit that collects blood, says thousands of blood drives have been canceled over the past 18 months.
