Benefits seen with broader Medicaid
A review of 324 studies found improved access to care, better health outcomes and economic benefits for states -- such as Arkansas -- that expanded Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
The literature review by health nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation assessed articles and findings published between January 2014 and June of this year.
States that chose to expand their Medicaid programs had bigger drops in their uninsured rates, most studies found, and many documented better access to care.
Some research pointed to decreased reliance on the emergency department as a primary source of care in those states, as well as upticks in self-reported health.
Researchers also documented associated changes in financial well-being, such as higher credit scores and fewer bankruptcy filings.
They also reported states' savings in behavioral health services.
Other results were mixed and included conflicting findings on whether Medicaid expansion broadly improved insurance coverage in rural areas, the Kaiser researchers wrote.
There also were some findings that suggested problems with provider availability, such as longer wait times for appointments.
Arkansas expanded its Medicaid program in 2013.
Pregnancy-obesity toll focus of study
An Arkansas researcher has received a $3.1 million National Institutes of Health grant to look at maternal obesity during pregnancy and whether it affects infants' brains.
Dr. Xiawei Ou, who is a researcher at Arkansas Children's Research Institute and a radiology and pediatrics professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine, will head the study.
The doctor also directs the brain imaging lab at Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center.
Ou's team's five-year project will examine changes in babies' brain structures related to an inflammatory environment created by obesity.
"Obesity during pregnancy has become a prevalent health concern in the U.S., not only for the pregnant women, but also for their offspring," Ou said in a news release.
"The more we understand about precisely how maternal obesity modifies a baby's brain, the more we can do to change that process."
The group will gather data via magnetic resonance imaging scans and inflammatory markers.
Drug-harm group to hold fundraiser
Central Arkansas Harm Reduction Project will hold a fundraiser at White Water Tavern in Little Rock on Thursday.
The nonprofit distributes the overdose reversal drug Naloxone and other supplies for free to help mitigate the risks from substance use.
The benefit is to begin at 9 p.m. and include music, burlesque performances, tarot readings and art. Tickets are $10.
The fundraiser is being held during the same week as International Overdose Awareness Day, which is Saturday.
15 states report vaping lung ills
Fifteen states have reported cases of severe lung illness potentially related to e-cigarette use, though none were in Arkansas, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a media advisory.
Between June 29 and Aug. 20, 149 possible cases were identified across the U.S.
Affected people had symptoms such as breathing difficulty, shortness of breath or chest pain.
All of the people said they had histories of e-cigarette product use, though it's not known if the episodes are connected and they were not linked to a specific product, the agency said.
The CDC has issued guidance to clinicians about the reports and what to watch out for, and state-specific epidemiologic investigations are underway.
Members of the public are encouraged to report reactions to e-cigarettes or "vaping" devices to the Food and Drug Administration's online safety reporting portal.
Group gets grant for its cancer plan
The Hospice & Palliative Care Association of Arkansas was awarded a $37,132 grant to support the Arkansas Cancer Plan, according to a news release.
The grant from the Arkansas Cancer Coalition will go toward work promoting advance care planning, which includes medical plans in the event that a patient cannot speak for himself.
The Hospice & Palliative Care Association advocates for high-quality hospice and palliative care.
SundayMonday on 08/25/2019