The Columbian

Health Wire

Kaiser Permanent workers picket Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023, in Baldwin Park, Calif.

Kaiser Permanente workers ratify contract after strike over wages and staffing levels

November 9, 2023, 11:17am Business

Tens of thousands of health care workers have ratified a new four-year contract with industry giant Kaiser Permanente following a strike over wages and staffing levels, the parties announced Thursday. Read story

Tony Hillaire of the Lummi Nation testifies before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee that impacts of the fentanyl crisis on his community are devastating. (U.S.

Lummi Nation leader speaks to Congress about fentanyl in Indigenous communities

November 9, 2023, 7:34am Health

Lummi Nation Chairman Tony Hillaire gave somber testimony Wednesday in Washington, D.C., about an overwhelming crisis of overdose deaths on his reservation, near Bellingham. Read story

Salmonella, ‘parrot fever’ linked to pets sold at Pasco Flea Market. 2 people fell ill

November 9, 2023, 7:28am Health

The Benton Franklin Health District is warning customers of the Pasco Flea Market that animals purchased there may have carried bacterial infections that made people sick. Read story

This image provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, shows counties, shaded in teal, where federal officials suggest offering syphilis testing to all sexually active people between the ages of 15 and 44. The Associated Press estimated the suggestion could affect tens of millions of people, based on federal data.

Syphilis cases in U.S. newborns skyrocketed in 2022

November 7, 2023, 4:35pm Health

Alarmed by yet another jump in syphilis cases in newborns, U.S. health officials are calling for stepped-up prevention measures, including encouraging millions of women of childbearing age and their partners to get tested for the sexually transmitted disease. Read story

A Meta engineer saw his own child face harassment on Instagram. Now, he’s testifying before Congress

November 7, 2023, 12:55pm Business

On the same day whistleblower Frances Haugen was testifying before Congress about the harms of Facebook and Instagram to children in the fall of 2021, a former engineering director at the social media giant who had rejoined the company as a consultant sent an alarming email to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about… Read story

FILE - Tablets of ibuprofen are arranged for a photograph in New York on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017. In 2023, more than 40% of American adults are considered obese, but the medications many take are rarely tested in bigger bodies. That’s because they are not required to be included in drug studies. Even a drug as common as ibuprofen, sold as Advil, may not relieve pain in people at higher weights when taken as directed, research shows.

Drugs aren’t required to be tested in people who are obese. Here’s why that’s a problem

November 7, 2023, 9:16am Health

More than 40% of American adults are considered obese, yet the medications many take are rarely tested in bigger bodies. Read story

FILE - In this April 30, 2017, file photo, Alex Trebek speaks at the 44th annual Daytime Emmy Awards at the Pasadena Civic Center in Pasadena, Calif. Trebek says he's already rehearsed what he's going to say to the audience on his final show. Trebek, host of the popular game show since 1984, announced last March that he'd been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer but will continue his job while still able. In an interview on ABC-TV broadcast Thursday, Trebek said he'll ask the director to leave him 30 seconds at the end of his last taping.

Alex Trebek’s widow starts pancreatic cancer research fund: ‘Alex knew knowledge equaled power’

November 7, 2023, 6:00am Health

The Alex Trebek Fund launched Wednesday to support research into pancreatic cancer, the type of cancer the longtime “Jeopardy” host died from in 2020. Read story

Nove is a discrete device designed to administer naloxone to reverse an opioid overdose. Brendan Mudd, a graduate of Western Washington University’s industrial design program, designed Nove.

Western Washington University alum creates nasal spray device for opioid overdoses

November 6, 2023, 7:08pm Health

the nasal spray that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose — comes in a flimsy box. The device that administers the medication is shaped like a cartoon spaceship and has to remain sealed in blister pack until use. It’s clunky to carry and can be sprayed accidentally. Read story

Studies: Marijuana use raises risk of heart attack, heart failure and stroke

November 6, 2023, 5:48pm Health

A pair of studies have found that older adults who use marijuana have more risk of heart attack or stroke when hospitalized than non-users and are more likely to develop heart failure if they are a daily user. Read story