Lev Facher, STAT Journalist Profile

Articles

NIH chief voices support for Nora Volkow, head of drug addiction research institute

23 hours ago | statnews.com | Lev Facher

The director of the National Institutes of Health gave a ringing endorsement to the nation’s top addiction researcher, Nora Volkow, this week in his first public remarks on the drug overdose crisis — a potential signal that her position as leader of the National Institute on Drug Abuse is, at least for now, secure.
Over half of U.S. counties have no system in place for monitoring air quality

1 day ago | statnews.com | Lev Facher

Get your daily dose of health and medicine every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. Hey all, it’s Lev Facher again. It’s late April, which means it’s already STAT Wunderkinds season! This is your chance to nominate your favorite accomplished, motivated early-career researcher for nationwide recognition. As always, you can reach me at [email protected].
Stances on autism are reshaping the advocacy landscape

2 days ago | statnews.com | Lev Facher

Get your daily dose of health and medicine every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. Good morning. This is Lev Facher filling in for Theresa while she enjoys her spring vacation. Lots of news yesterday, papal and otherwise — let’s get to it. I’m reachable at [email protected]. The Affordable Care Act’s mandate that health insurers cover preventive care appears likely to survive a legal challenge currently before the Supreme Court.
Stances on autism are reshaping the advocacy landscape

2 days ago | autism.einnews.com | Lev Facher

Get your daily dose of health and medicine every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. Good morning. This is Lev Facher filling in for Theresa while she enjoys her spring vacation. Lots of news yesterday, papal and otherwise — let’s get to it. I’m reachable at [email protected]. The Affordable Care Act’s mandate that health insurers cover preventive care appears likely to survive a legal challenge currently before the Supreme Court.
Salvation Army faces class-action suit over denying addiction medications

1 week ago | statnews.com | Lev Facher

A federal judge has given the go-ahead for a class-action lawsuit that could radically expand Americans’ access to lifesaving addiction medications. The perhaps surprising defendant: The Salvation Army, the Christian charity known more for its thrift stores than for its nationwide network of addiction treatment facilities.
On an RFK Jr. road show, MAHA goals take precedence. Measles prevention less so

2 weeks ago | statnews.com | Lev Facher

GILA RIVER INDIAN COMMUNITY, Ariz. — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaking Tuesday morning at a conference on Native American tribal self-governance, was working hard to win his audience’s affection. But amid a measles outbreak linked to the deaths of two children and widespread turmoil inside the agency he oversees, Kennedy’s public appearances on a “MAHA Tour” of the Southwest this week were just as notable for the topics he avoided as those he discussed.
Entire chronic pain research division eliminated in NIH layoffs

2 weeks ago | statnews.com | Lev Facher

Last week’s layoffs across the Department of Health and Human Services left a significant casualty in the vast ecosystem of government-backed science: an entire division focused on researching pain. The reduction in force enacted last week by Health Secretary Robert F.
Trump's drug policy: fentanyl test strips and 'harshest' penalties

2 weeks ago | statnews.com | Lev Facher

President Trump's drug policy takes an enforcement-first policy but also supports fentanyl test strips and addiction medications.
Addiction treatment advocates turn to an unlikely ally: DOGE | STAT

3 weeks ago | statnews.com | Lev Facher

The addiction medicine methadone is known as "liquid handcuffs" because of surrounding regulations. A coalition wants DOGE to cut through them.
Trump taps Sara Carter of Fox News to be next national drug czar

3 weeks ago | statnews.com | Lev Facher

President Trump has selected Sara Carter, a conservative journalist and Fox News contributor, as the nation’s next drug czar. Carter’s selection comes as a surprise: Her background is not in drug policy, public health, or law enforcement, and she has never served in government.