In the News

Ebola Unlikely in U.S., but Preparations Underway

VPR – Associate Professor of Medicine Tim Lahey is interviewed discussing the recent Ebola virus outbreak. “There’s almost no chance that even nurses and doctors in the United States could get this. And the reason for that is that among the roughly 2,000 people that have Ebola virus disease, very, very few of them can get on a plane and come to one of the developing world countries,” he says.

Health Headlines: Painkillers Making People Too Disabled to Work?

Bay News 9 – According to a new study by The Dartmouth Institute, which examined over 9 million prescription records of people receiving benefits because they’re too disabled to work, “Roughly 4 million Americans too disabled to work are prescribed heavy-duty painkillers, such as OxyContin, Vicodin, codeine and morphine”. “Almost half — over 40 percent — filled a prescription for opiates in a year, and one in five was filling six or more prescriptions per year,” says Associate Professor of TDI Ellen Meara.

Speeding Up the Fight Against Ebola

Boston Globe – Assistant Professor at Geisel Kendal Hoyt is interviewed on the rising costs of producing vaccines. According to Hoyt, “The time and cost of creating vaccines has steadily increased over the past 40 years, from an average of $199 million and six years to make it to market in the 1970s, to $1.5 billion and more than 13 years today.”

Millions With Disabilities Get Heavy-duty Painkillers in Potentially Fatal Doses

Detroit Free Press – Features a new Dartmouth study that examined the painkillers prescribed to Americans who are too disabled to work. “Almost half – over 40% – filled a prescription for opiates in a year and one in five was filling six or more prescriptions per year,” says Ellen Meara, an associate professor of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice.

Think Twice Before Placing TV In Kids’ Room

The Tennessean – Article interviews Diane Gilbert-Diamond, a Professor of Community and Family Medicine and the lead researcher on a recent study that suggesting “a possible link between kids having TV in the bedroom and more sedentary behavior, snacking and exposure to food ads, leading to weight gain.”

Mental Health Screening in Primary Care Helps Veterans

Center for Advancing Health – Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Brian Shiner comments on how a new practice is helping patients with mental health disorder. “In patients who actually have the disorder, there is good evidence that the intervention improves important health outcomes and benefits substantially outweigh harm,” says Brian. “Therefore, we assume that we can help to improve veterans’ health by following up screens with clinical exams and delivering these treatments when they are indicated.”