Many with chronic pain have been on prescription painkillers at relatively high doses, putting them at risk of health problems and making them vulnerable to exploitation, says Dr. Charles Pattavina of St. Joseph Hospital.
Joe Lawlor
Staff Writer
Joe Lawlor writes about health and human services for the Press Herald. A 24-year newspaper veteran, Lawlor has worked in Ohio, Michigan and Virginia before relocating to Maine in 2013 to join the Press Herald. He is still considered “from away” but since then, he has learned what a “dooryard” is, eaten “whoopie pies” drank Moxie and boiled some “lobstahs.” The stories he enjoys most are when he learns something and meeting inspiring people.
He lives in South Portland - aka “SoPo” - with his wife, Melanie, and two school-age children.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Group suing LePage administration to expand Medicaid responds
Maine Equal Justice Partners counters assertions by the governor that he can’t implement the expansion until the Legislature allocates funds for it.
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Posted inLocal & State, News
Norway man, 68, dies in house fire
The blaze broke out Sunday morning in a one-story home on Greenwood Road, the State Fire Marshal’s Office says.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Former President George H.W. Bush arrives in Kennebunkport
The 41st president is greeted by about 300 well-wishers as his motorcade passes through Dock Square.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Citing Portland’s opioid lawsuit, hospitals withdraw from groups seeking to treat addiction
The parent of Mercy and EMMC is unhappy that the lawsuit partially blames one of its former doctors for the opioid crisis.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
LePage administration responds to Medicaid lawsuit, blames Legislature for not funding expansion
The DHHS says in a court filing that without the funds it ‘lacks legal authority’ to spend on expansion, but the plaintiffs point to unexpended funds in the state’s Medicaid account and say the voter-approved law is being violated.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Chicken pox outbreak reported at day care center in Westbrook
Five children who go to the The Little Red School House Too have fallen ill, and unvaccinated kids must stay at home for 21 days, but the Maine CDC has not issued a health alert.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Solutions remain elusive as group home crisis looms
DHHS Commissioner Ricker Hamilton tells parents and advocates that legislative action is needed to increase reimbursement rates for direct care workers in group homes and other settings for adults with intellectual disabilities.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News, Politics
Adult group homes facing crisis created by legislators
A failure to increase MaineCare reimbursement rates before the session’s end triggers a reduction instead, putting services at risk.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Science
Ticks that carry Lyme disease surviving even deep-freeze winters, research shows
Field researchers in Maine and Connecticut say the snowpack helps the disease-carrying arachnids survive harsh conditions, putting public health at risk in a state where Lyme cases are rising.