Health Care
Jefferson County 20/20 Health Plan Aims to Improve Overall Health of Community
It takes 20/20 focus to identify the multitude of factors impacting the health of Jefferson County residents. After months of planning, the County Department of Health has developed a plan and is putting it into action. The county and community organizations are partnering to improve health and quality of life with its Community Matters 20/20 Plan.
Mental Health Commissioner Jim Perdue On State’s Shrinking Mental Health System
State legislators still haven’t figured out how to fix a $200 million budget deficit for the upcoming year – and time is running out. Many in Alabama who work in mental health worry that public services could be on the chopping block again, after years of cuts and the closure of three state psychiatric hospitals. Perhaps most concerned is Alabama’s new Mental Health Commissioner, Jim Perdue, who was sworn in this summer. He says with more budget cuts, mentally ill Alabamians may end up in jail rather then getting the help they need.
A Window On Other Arenas: Sports, Race, And More With UAB Sociologist Adrienne Milner
You don’t have to be a scholar to know that African-Americans are heavily represented in contact sports like football and basketball, but underrepresented in “lifetime sports” like tennis or golf. Some casual observers have come up with relatively simple explanations for that phenomenon. But a University of Alabama at Birmingham sociologist and author who studies […]
For Undocumented Alabamians, Medicaid Cuts Could Make Health Care Even Harder To Find
After more than a week of disagreement in Montgomery, Alabama Senators approved a cut-filled general fund budget on Monday. It includes millions of dollars in cuts to the state’s Medicaid budget. Medicaid provides health care for low income individuals and families. But often poor undocumented immigrants can’t receive care under Medicaid. Advocates for the undocumented say Medicaid cuts will make health care even more difficult to find for this marginalized group.
“Medicaid Cuts Will Affect Everyone” Says UAB Health System CEO
Alabama Senators are approved a cut-filled general fund budget after lawmakers could not agree how to fill a more than $200 million budget hole. The proposed spending plan cuts nearly that much from mental health services, law enforcement, state agencies and Medicaid. State hospitals are especially concerned about cuts to Medicaid. Will Ferniany, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of UAB Health System, the largest academic medical center in Alabama, told WBHM’s Rachel Osier Lindley why Medicaid cuts have him worried.
As Heroin Use Rises, More Families Struggle With Loss And Addiction
Heroin use has exploded in Alabama, and heroin-related deaths more than doubled in Jefferson County last year. That means more and more relatives have to cope with the mistrust, deception and shame that come with addiction. Despite the stigma, parents and families are reaching out for help.
Highlights From Issues and Ales: Concussions and the Price of Playing Football
In Alabama, football is a way of life. But after recent revelations about the dangers of football-related head injuries, players and parents are reconsidering their involvement. How are health concerns changing who plays football? How does it change the culture around football, and what will it mean for the future of the sport? Hear highlights from our Issues and Ales panel discussion, Issues and Ales: Concussions and the Price of Playing Football.
Former Football Players Discuss Rule Changes and Concussions
At WBHM’s Issues and Ales: Concussions and the Price of Playing Football, Bobby Humphrey, former running back for the University of Alabama, the Denver Broncos, and the Miami Dolphins; and Reginald Greene, former offensive tackle for North Alabama and Florence, answers some audience questions that the panelists didn’t get to address in the discussion. Humphrey addressed how […]
Former UAB Quarterback Talks Concussions
At WBHM's Issues and Ales: Concussions and the Price of Playing Football, former UAB quarterback and NFL veteran Kevin Drake answered some audience questions that the panelists didn't get to address in the discussion. Drake is the program director for the Wise Up Initiative, and he says one of the biggest problems with concussions is that too many go under the radar.
In Football Country, Concussions Spark A Parental Dilemma
More and more people are learning about the risks contact sports pose to the brain. So even here in football-loving Alabama, parents and young athletes are wrestling with a serious dilemma, one that could affect them decades later: to play or not to play. To help parents facing that decision, WBHM’s Dan Carsen got some […]
UAB Research Lab Hopes To Define Concussion Biomarkers
There’s been a spike in children under 19 visiting the emergency room with concussions. ERs saw a more than 50 percent increase between 2001 and 2009. Doctors say this could actually be a good thing, resulting in part from improved awareness of what a concussion is. But, perhaps surprisingly, there’s still a lot we don’t know about concussions, like how long they last or what all the long term effects are. A group of doctors at the University of Alabama at Birmingham who aim to change this.
New Technology Aims To Measure Concussion Risk In Athletes
Concussions can occur from head injuries while playing any sport where a player receives a blow to the head. And for years, hearing the crack of two helmets colliding or seeing a player crash to the ground headfirst, was the only way to determine if a player might have suffered a concussion. But that’s changing.
As Concussion Awareness Rises, Football Focuses on Safety
Summer is winding down, and for many student athletes, that means one thing: football. Practices are starting across the country. And now more than ever, there’s a focus on safety…especially preventing head injury and concussions. All this week, WBHM explores what this means for football in our state, and highlights homegrown research and scientific developments that could change the game forever.
Carly’s Law Study: Patients On Marijuana Derivative Oil Report Progress
Last year, Alabama was the second state to legalize limited use of marijuana derivate, commonly known as CBD oil. Alabama’s Carly’s Law, is allowing doctors at the University of Alabama at Birmingham to study and prescribe CBD oil to select patients. CBD oil has only traces or no THC --the active ingredient in marijuana known to produce a high-and is changing the debate surrounding the use of use of marijuana as medicine. UAB’s study officially started this spring.
Ruling Means 130,000 Alabamians Keep Insurance Subsidies
The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on the Affordable Care Act means that 130,000 Alabamians will keep subsidies to buy insurance through exchanges.
Uncovering Alabama’s Hidden Hepatitis C Problem
Injection drug use is on the rise around the country, feeding an increase in cases of the blood-borne liver disease Hepatitis C. The Centers for Disease control says that, nationally, Hepatitis C infections rose 150 percent in the last 3 years. But the spread of the disease in Alabama is hard to measure. Doctors and health care officials are trying new ways to determine the true spread of the disease here in Alabama -- doctors like Jim Galbraith, an emergency room physician at UAB.
UAB Program Expands Access to Heroin Overdose Drug
Police and public health leaders in Alabama are trying to deal with a spike in heroin use in recent years. Naloxone -- or narcan -- is a drug that, when administered correctly, can reverse the effects of a heroin overdose. A bill passed the Alabama Legislature this week that would allow first responders to give narcan to someone dying from an overdose. But some don't think the bill goes far enough. UAB researchers are working on a crowd-funded study that puts narcan directly in the hands of users' and family and friends.
New Website Informs Ft. McClellan Veterans of Possible Toxic Exposure
For decades Anniston’s now closed Ft. McClellan was home to the Army Chemical School and housed substances including sarin gas and nerve agent. The company Monsanto also released toxic chemicals into the environment around the area. Some veterans say exposure to these substances while at Ft. McClellan caused them an array of health problems and have called for compensation from the federal government. Those activists can now claim a small victory.
Mental Healthcare Community Worries More Cuts are on the Way
When Alabama Psychiatric Services suddenly closed in February, 28,000 people who depended on the company for mental healthcare found their treatment thrown into chaos. APS closed after the company said it couldn’t reach an agreement with the state’s largest health insurance company Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Alabama. A similar situation in Florida has some mental healthcare professionals wondering if more closures are possible or if something illegal is happening.
