PROVINCETOWN — Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) was detected in a sample of mosquitoes taken here on Sept. 21. Like the August discovery of West Nile virus in Eastham mosquitoes, the […]
Health & Healthcare
MENTAL HEALTH
In a Crisis, Clinicians Arrive — or Call — From Hyannis
Shared services are spreading, but co-response is still mostly remote
PROVINCETOWN — Last February, a 30-member SWAT team responded in full protective gear when a Provincetown man expressed suicidal intentions and barricaded himself and his roommate inside their home with […]
HEALTH CARE
40 Days of Anti-Abortion Protests Planned at Health Clinic
Cape chapter of a Texas group says it will hold prayer vigils
HYANNIS — For 15 years, people seeking abortions had to leave Cape Cod for care; the nearest clinic was over 100 miles away. But in July, Health Imperatives opened in […]
HEALTH CARE
Outer Cape Health to Have a Doctor as Its New CEO
Damian Archer has been OCHS’s chief equity officer since April
WELLFLEET — Outer Cape Health Services announced on Aug. 26 that Dr. Damian Archer will replace Patricia Nadle as CEO on Dec. 1. Since April, Archer has been the chief […]
MOSQUITOES
West Nile Virus Makes Its Annual Appearance Here
Experts recommend removing standing water to control the disease
EASTHAM — West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne illness that appears on Cape Cod annually, has been detected in a sample of the insects in the Fort Hill area of Eastham. […]
PUBLIC HEALTH
As ‘the Crud’ Hits the Cape, New Covid Shots Are Approved
A summer affliction that isn’t Covid rears its head
PROVINCETOWN — For many people on the Outer Cape, summer ended this year as it often has in the past — with a wicked case of “the Crud.” Towns full […]
HEALTH CARE
Mobile Anti-Abortion Van Arrives in Wellfleet
Its Christians-only staffing policy is permitted in workplaces that are primarily religious, says EEOC
WELLFLEET — The mobile anti-abortion van that made its way to Cape Cod earlier this summer spent last weekend parked at Our Lady of Lourdes, a Catholic church on Route […]
AMBULANCE RUN
Lower Cape Ambulance Will Dissolve at End of Summer
Truro and Provincetown will speed up transition to in-house EMS teams
PROVINCETOWN — Lower Cape Ambulance Association (LCAA) Chief Operating Officer Steven Roderick announced this week that the nonprofit service will shut down on Sept. 1. The reason, he said, was […]
ELDER CARE
Home Care Shortage Is ‘a Never-Ending Crisis’
The wait for a home health aide can be up to a year long
Barnstable County is facing twin demographic emergencies. First, as rents and the cost of living rise ever higher, the year-round workforce is evaporating. Second, the population — already far older […]
OPIOIDS
Fentanyl in Drug Supply Spurs Community Response
Contaminated drugs may present dangers for unaware partygoers
PROVINCETOWN — Gwen Kavlouskas-Noyes, who owns Big Daddy’s Burritos in Provincetown, says that though she has long been aware of the problem of opioids, they always felt distant from her […]
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
Hyannis Clinic Offers Medication Abortion, Ending Cape-Wide Drought
After 10 weeks, women must still travel off Cape for care
HYANNIS — Since 2008, it has been impossible to get an abortion on Cape Cod. But as of last week, just over a year after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, […]
STATE HOUSE
Legislature Considers a Bill to Decriminalize Psychedelics
Local community leaders are encouraged about their use in end-of-life care
WELLFLEET — In the 1960s, psychedelics were part of the American counterculture, banned because of their mind-altering power. In 2023, they’re the subject of a pending bill in the Massachusetts […]
HOUSING AND HEALTH CARE
State Health Officials Get an Earful on Cape’s Needs
Unsurprisingly, housing is the number one issue
PROVINCETOWN — The regional housing crisis is also a health-care crisis. At a June 30 roundtable with top state health officials, social service providers from the Outer, Lower, and Mid-Cape […]
HEALTH CARE
Towns Get Money for a Mental Health Clinician and a Nurse
$381K ARPA grant will also fund ‘asset mapping’ and monthly wellness clinics
A collaborative project among the four Outer Cape health depts. going by the name of “OC Wellness” has won $381,375 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding from Barnstable County. […]
PUBLIC HEALTH
Cases Are Few, but Monkeypox Is Still on the Radar
AIDS Support Group is running vaccine clinics through the summer
PROVINCETOWN — The virus that roared through the gay community on both sides of the Atlantic last summer subsided almost as quickly as it arrived. Mpox — formerly known as […]
