More than 65 million Americans live in areas without enough primary care providers – and the shortage is only expected to get worse. But health care reform is working to change that by expanding the National Health Service Corps. That federal program helps pay for aspiring primary care clinicians. The catch? They must work in areas where they’re needed most. For HealthyState.org, WGCU’s Farah Dosani has the story of two doctors and their experience with the corps.

When it comes to treating terminal illness, palliative care is often seen as the end of the fight. It focuses on quality of life rather than cure and is usually integrated in a patient’s final days or weeks in the form of hospice. But some question its traditional role in health care. A recent study shows that palliative care can not only help people live better, but also longer. As WGCU’s Farah Dosani reports, those in the field call for changing the way we view and use this so-called “end-of-life” care.

Asthma can be a difficult condition to live with – especially when you’re a student. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, the chronic disease is one of the leading causes of school absences in the country. But there’s a southwest Florida program that’s working to change that. By working with the students, their parents, and their schools, it’s helping to keep them in the classroom and out of the hospital. As part of our Your Voice series on Education - WGCU’s Farah Dosani with Healthy State dot org reports. 

 

Columbia University Medical Center’s Netcast “This Week in Virology” comes to Florida Gulf Coast University Monday for a closer look at the recent emergence of Dengue Fever in Florida. WGCU’s John Davis reports.

Last month, a trial for a new HIV vaccine started up in Orlando. The National Institutes of Health and a Seattle-based research organization have been recruiting volunteers nationwide for more than a year, but they haven’t found enough candidates. That’s why they’ve expanded their search to include Florida. One problem is the enrollment criteria are so stringent that many people don’t qualify. Euna Lee reports.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has opened an investigation into reusable grocery bags, following a Tampa Tribune report that found some highly decorated bags contained elevated levels of lead. Also, U.S. Representative Kathy Castor called on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to investigate the issue, and has called for hearings in the House of Representatives. Lead is considered a toxin, and can cause learning disabilities in children and fertility problems in adults. Sarasota reporter Grant Boxleitner has more.

The state Department of Health reports the first confirmed case in Florida of cholera linked to the epidemic in Haiti. WGCU’s Amy Tardif reports the case involves a Collier County woman who recently visited family in Haiti.

Areas across the state and country are helping their residents find a safe new home for their unwanted prescription drugs – including Collier County. It has established permanent drop-off boxes, where people can safely dispose of their meds anytime they want.

After years of steady declines the number of Americans who smoke cigarettes has recently bottomed out at about twenty percent. But there’s a new tobacco smoking trend that also has health officials concerned…hookah lounges are cropping up everywhere. WGCU’s Valerie Alker paid a visit to one and has this report.

A new publication from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Florida's teen birth rates are significantly higher than the national average. But it's not all bad news. Sammy Mack explains.