Health Care

As more states legalize both medical and recreational marijuana, products containing extracts from the plant are appearing on shelves around the country too. Cannabidiol, commonly abbreviated as CBD, is one such compound that’s now available in various formulations at smoke shops, health food stores and dispensaries.

Nearly one-third of mayors believe that city policies won’t lessen health disparities, according to new research from Drexel University.

More adults get checkups and report better health after nurse practitioners gain the autonomy to practice primary care without doctor oversight.

While clinical genetic testing is a common medical practice, in the past decade, the introduction of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing has moved the practice out of the doctor’s office and into the home. DTC genetic testing companies such as 23andMe provide genotyping services that reveal the genetic basis of family heritage, physical traits and health conditions.

A shorter course of treatment for hepatitis C works just as well as a longer one for black patients.

Loss of obstetric services at hospitals in rural counties puts mothers at a higher risk of preterm birth and birth outside of a hospital or in a hospital without an obstetric unit.

Efforts at improving health equity in Oregon have reduced disparities in primary care visits among African American and Native American people.

Death after surgery is more than twice as likely for black children than white children. New models indicate which risk factors are most commonly associated with this outcome for both groups.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh have expressed skepticism over supervised injection sites as an effort to address the state’s ongoing opioid epidemic. Baker suggested that the research on safe injection sites as a “path to treatment” was inconclusive.