Lydia Zuraw

2 weeks ago | cbsnews.com | Henry Larweh |Lydia Zuraw

Christopher Julian's opioid journey is familiar to many Americans. He was prescribed painkillers as a teenager for a series of sports injuries. He said the doctor never warned him they could be addictive. Julian didn't learn that fact until years later, when he was cut off and began suffering withdrawal symptoms. At that point, he started siphoning pills from family members and buying them from others in his southern Maine community.

1 month ago | truthout.org | Sarah Jane Tribble |Holly Hacker |Lydia Zuraw

Boligee, Alabama — Green lights flickered on the wireless router in Barbara Williams’ kitchen. Just one bar lit up — a weak signal connecting her to the world beyond her home in the Alabama Black Belt. Next to the router sat medications, vitamin D pills, and Williams’ blood glucose monitor kit. “I haven’t used that thing in a month or so,” said Williams, 72, waving toward the kit. Diagnosed with diabetes more than six years ago, she has developed nerve pain from neuropathy in both legs.

Oct 9, 2024 | kffhealthnews.org | David Hilzenrath |Lydia Zuraw

It sounds like a joke: poppy seeds infused with opioids. Indeed, it was a plotline on the sitcom Seinfeld. But for some it has been a tragedy. People have died after drinking tea brewed from unwashed poppy seeds. And after eating lemon poppy seed bread or an everything bagel, mothers reportedly have been separated from newborns because the women failed drug tests. Poppy seeds come from the plant that produces opium and from which narcotics such as morphine and codeine are derived.

Sep 4, 2024 | kffhealthnews.org | Lydia Zuraw

The Purchased/Referred Care (PRC) program at the Indian Health Service can pay for outside appointments when Native Americans and Alaska Natives need health care they can’t get at agency-funded sites. But critics say money shortages, complex rules, and administrative fumbles can block or complicate access to PRC funding, causing some patients to delay care or face daunting medical bills. Have you had an experience navigating the PRC program that you think people should know about? Tell us here.

Aug 8, 2024 | kffhealthnews.org | Lydia Zuraw

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