LISTEN LIVE: Loading...

Latest Health News

A cyclist rides along a street near the Tobin Memorial Bridge in Chelsea. (Steven Senne/AP)

Local Coverage

Jul 22, 2024

More income could result in fewer trips to ER, study suggests

The study published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at almost 2,900 low-income people who applied for a lottery in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Nearly 1,750 of them got up to $400 per month from November 2020 to August 2021.

Mass. confirms first measles case since 2020

Health

Jul 18, 2024

A greenhouse atop Massachusetts General Hospital houses psychoactive plants to be studied by the Center for Neuroscience of Psychedelics. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Atop MGH, psychedelics scientists grow plants that could change your mind

Health

05:06Jul 18, 2024

With temperatures hovering in the mid-90's, people walk near a sign down Hanover Street in the North End, during a summer heat wave. (Charles Krupa/AP)

Deaths from heart disease and stroke likely climb in Mass. during heat waves

Health

Jul 17, 2024

Support the news

A doctor performs an ultrasound scan on a pregnant woman. (Teresa Crawford/AP)

New mothers can 'fall through the cracks' in health care. Researchers suggest a different approach

Health

More Health News

In this August 2009 photo, Ralph de la Torre, then-CEO of Caritas Christi, speaks at a meeting at Norwood Hospital. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Steward executives paid themselves millions before filing for bankruptcy

In the months before filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, as Steward Health Care struggled to pay its bills, the company gave million-dollar payouts to nearly 20 current and former executives,...

Health

Jul 12, 2024

Steward Health Care says it's under federal investigation

Steward Health Care, the bankrupt company that operates seven Massachusetts hospitals, confirmed Thursday that it is under federal investigation. News reports say the probe centers on alleged violations of the...

Health

Jul 11, 2024

A Red Line train bound for Ashmont rolls slowly into South Station. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

MBTA to install overdose-reversing medication containers at some Red Line stops

The overdose-reversal drug naloxone will be available to the public at five stations along the MBTA's Red Line in the coming weeks.

Local Coverage

Jul 11, 2024

A sign for Nubian Square, the main business district, dubbed "the Heart & Soul of Roxbury" in Boston. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Boston gets $10 million to help close life expectancy gap between neighborhoods

“Being able to live a long and healthy life shouldn’t depend on your wallet or where you live,” said the foundation's president Dr. Ann Hwang.

Local Coverage

Jul 10, 2024

Marty Kedian shakes hands with Dr. David Lott after surgery. (Courtesy of Mayo Clinic)

A rare voice box transplant helped a Mass. cancer patient speak again, part of a pioneering study

A Massachusetts man can speak again after surgeons removed his cancerous voice box and replaced it with a donated one, a pioneering move. Marty Kedian is the third patient in...

Health

Jul 9, 2024

Mosquitoes cling to the inside of a jar loaded with repellent during a test as part of a tour of the Center for Disease Control laboratory. (David Zalubowski/AP)

With mosquito-borne illnesses detected in Mass., here’s how to protect yourself

It's the start of mosquito-borne illness season in Massachusetts, with West Nile virus and EEE detected in recent mosquito samples. There are no reported human cases of either illness yet,...

Local Coverage

Jul 8, 2024

An artist's paint brushes in New York. (Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)

Mass. starts country's first arts prescription program for physical and behavioral health

The state's arts agency has teamed up with health care provider Art Pharmacy to offer art-based social prescribing. The program represents the nation's "first statewide arts prescription solution," an intervention...

Health

Jul 5, 2024

A mosquito stands on human skin. (USDA Agricultural Research Service via AP)

Mass. officials urge protection after mosquitos in test positive for two viruses

The Department of Public Health said the Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus was detected in mosquito samples collected June 30 in Carver, just a day after officials identified West Nile...

Local Coverage

Jul 5, 2024

People walk on a shady path in Boston Common. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

A study found big benefits from short walks. I tried it for a week

A NPR/Columbia University study that found taking a five-minute walk every 30 minutes appeared to reduce some of the negative effects of sitting in front of a computer all day....

Health

Jul 4, 2024

Soundwaves going into ears. (Getty Images)

From medical mysteries to mental health: 7 podcast picks from WBUR's health editor

WBUR managing editor Elisabeth Harrison loves a good podcast. Here are several she's been enjoying this year that cover topics like health, science, psychology and crime.

Local Coverage

Jul 3, 2024