LISTEN LIVE: Loading...

Latest Health News

A grower cuts psilocybin mushrooms to prepare for distribution in Springfield, Ore., in 2023. (Craig Mitchelldyer/AP file photo)

Mass. voters oppose legalizing natural psychedelics, as Question 4 fails

Voters rejected Question 4, a measure to legalize certain plant-based psychedelic drugs and created a network of licensed therapy centers so adults 21 and older could consume them under supervision.

Local Coverage

Nov 6, 2024

St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, a Steward hospital in Brighton. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

St. Elizabeth's Medical Center's property owner sues state over eminent domain taking

Local Coverage

Nov 1, 2024

The St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center sign in front of the emergency room entrance with any reference to Steward Health Care covered up. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Sale of Steward's doctors network is finalized, new owners rebrand as Revere Medical

Local Coverage

Oct 31, 2024

Kiki Polk, one of the first Boston Medical Center patients to enroll in the Clean Power Prescription program, turns on the air conditioner in her home in Dorchester. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

When patients couldn’t afford utilities, a Boston hospital turned to solar for help

Health

04:03Oct 31, 2024

Support the news

Left, jars of psilocybin mushroom varieties. Right, Michou Olivera displays a psilocybin mushroom she grew in her home office. (Walter Wuthmann/WBUR)

Mass. could soon legalize natural psychedelics, but not everyone is waiting

Local Coverage

03:42

More Health News

Mass General Brigham offices in Somerville. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Mass General Brigham's two flagship hospitals plan to launch a new cancer institute

Despite collaborating in many other areas, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital worked independently on cancer. But in the wake of Dana-Farber's decision to cut ties with Mass...

Local Coverage

Oct 30, 2024

Dr. Yamini Levitzky talks with a patient at Newton-Wellesley Hospital's South Asian Heart Health and Nutrition Program. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Mass. doctors combat 'devastating' trend of heart disease in South Asian patients

A combination of lifestyle and genetic factors are thought to put South Asians at higher risk of heart disease. But these risks often go unnoticed.

Health

04:05Oct 30, 2024

Brian taps in the code for fentanyl test strips. Anyone can get these for free. Clients must register to receive drug-use supplies like needles and pipes. The machine is cooled and heated to preserve medications, like Narcan. (Martha Bebinger/WBUR)

Stocking vending machines with needles and Narcan to curb overdose deaths

Groups trying to reduce overdose deaths and the spread of infectious diseases are replacing chips and soda in vending machines with sterile needles, pipes, wound care kits, Narcan and fentanyl...

Health

03:43Oct 28, 2024

A decommissioning crew works in the dryer separator pit filled with filtered wastewater in the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station reactor. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Radioactive water continues to be a flashpoint in cleanup of Pilgrim nuclear site

Holtec's plan to discharge nearly a million gallons of radioactive wastewater into Cape Cod Bay has become a contentious dispute in the cleanup of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in...

Environment

04:45Oct 24, 2024

Massachusetts drinking water passed state and federal standards for PFAS contamination. (Jim Cole/AP)

The EPA has new regulations for lead in drinking water. Here's what they mean for Massachusetts

Drinking water systems in Massachusetts must replace all lead pipes within 10 years, according to federal regulations announced this week. The Environmental Protection Agency will provide nearly $53.5 million to...

Environment

Oct 10, 2024

This composite photo shows 2024 Nobel Prize winners in physiology or medicine Gary Ruvkun, American molecular biologist, left, and Victor Ambros, professor of natural science at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Newton, Mass. (Steven Senne/AP)

2 Mass. scientists share Nobel Prize for discovery of microRNA

Victor Ambros and Gary Rukvun discovered microRNA -- molecules that control how genes regulate each other inside cells. The discovery is the basis for some disease treatments.

Local Coverage

06:54Oct 8, 2024

The Long Island bridge is seen in January, months after it was closed. It has since been demolished. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Ripple effects continue 10 years after Boston's Long Island Bridge and shelter, treatment programs closed

Boston shut down the Long Island Bridge and programs on October 8, 2014. The move put pressure on other shelter and treatment programs in the city. Local leaders are now...

Local Coverage

07:28Oct 8, 2024

Norwood Hospital, closed for construction, in Norwood, Mass. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Steward abandoning under-construction Norwood Hospital and nearby clinics

Steward Health Care moved Monday to abandon the under-construction Norwood Hospital property and close four nearby outpatient clinics. The hospital itself has not been open since a June 2020 flood...

Health

Oct 8, 2024

A sign at Holy Family Hospital in Haverhill, Mass. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Former Steward workers are hopeful as new owners take over, but challenges remain

As new owners take over five former Steward hospitals in Massachusetts, they face a number of challenges. One of the most significant may be integrating thousands of former Steward employees...

Health

Oct 3, 2024

Algae bloom in Wakeby Pond in Mashpee, Mass., June 16, 2023. Courtesy Association to Preserve Cape Cod

Cape Cod research group gets $3 million to expand wastewater innovation hub

The Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center (MASSTC) in Sandwich has received nearly $3.3 million in state and federal funds to expand its wastewater research facility. Pollution from septic systems...

Local Coverage

Oct 2, 2024