EASTHAM — A dead raccoon that turned up on Smith Lane with a face full of porcupine quills on Nov. 17 tested positive for raccoon variant rabies — a variant […]
Health & Healthcare
HEALTH CARE
Deadline Looms for Blue Cross Medicare Clients
Patients can still pay ‘out-of-network’ rates at Outer Cape Health
WELLFLEET — As the Dec. 7 deadline to change Medicare Advantage plans approaches, over 500 patients of Outer Cape Health Services (OCHS) must decide whether to choose a new plan […]
HEALTH CARE
BCBS Drops OCHS From Its Medicare Plans
Blue Cross move may be a strategy to increase profits
WELLFLEET — On the first day of open enrollment for Medicare recipients to choose a health-care plan, Catherine Hess received a notice that her current insurer, Blue Cross Blue Shield, […]
ELDER CARE
Healey Signs Long-Term Care Bill Into Law
State will have new powers over owners of nursing homes
PROVINCETOWN — Last month, a long-term care reform bill that had failed to pass during the legislature’s normal session, which ended July 31, became law after the state House and […]
RECOVERY
A New Wellness Center Offers In-Person Support
Its focus is on helping those affected by substance use disorder
WELLFLEET — Outer Cape Health Services has opened a new behavioral health facility in Wellfleet. It will be open year-round to help people recovering from substance use disorder. The A.I.M. […]
PUBLIC HEALTH
Kindergarten Vaccination Rates Fall Short
Lack of ‘herd immunity’ risks outbreak of preventable diseases
The immunization of children entering kindergarten against preventable diseases in all four towns on Outer Cape Cod lags far behind statewide averages. In both Truro and Provincetown, less than 80 […]
GRAY AREA
Outer Cape Health Restructures as It Loses Top Staff
Financial operations will require an overhaul, says CEO Archer
WELLFLEET — Outer Cape Health Services is regrouping after a rash of staff departures over the past several months left the organization with a shortage of top leadership and primary […]
CANINE ALERT
Cannabis Toxicity in Dogs Is Increasing on Cape
Even small amounts can harm dogs that find and ingest it
TRURO — After a morning walk on Ballston Beach over the July 4th weekend, Heather Murray noticed her four-year-old Portuguese water dog, Maple, behaving strangely. “She was just sort of […]
KINSHIP CAREGIVERS
Grandparents Care for More Than 10% of Cape Children
A hidden burden made heavier by the opioid crisis and lack of services
ORLEANS — Carla Koehl, the executive director of the Cape Cod Foster Closet, set out one year ago to answer a simple question: how many kids living on the Cape […]
MENTAL HEALTH
With Clinicians Overbooked, Agencies Try to ‘Triage’ the Delays
When access to therapists is months away, nonclinical care can help, leaders say
WELLFLEET — When Dikke Hansen decided to “semi-retire,” giving up her position as director of behavioral health at Outer Cape Health Services in 2021 and taking up part-time work as […]
A SENSITIVE ISSUE
At a Forum on Temporary Signs, Opinions Are Few But Strong
Town leaders put temporary sign bylaw on hold while they assess public opinion
TRURO — After a controversy over election signs this spring resulted in multiple calls to the police dept., the town is still not enforcing its bylaw on temporary signs, according […]
HEALTH CARE
Nursing Home Reform Languishes on Beacon Hill
Despite latest failure, 3 lawmakers say long-term care legislation is not dead
PROVINCETOWN — Massachusetts politicians at both the state and federal level have made recent moves toward tightening regulation of the long-term care industry, especially as private-equity firms continue to buy […]
REST AND REASSESS
Covid-19 Pauses Outer Cape Entertainment
Two venues canceled a week of performances in July
PROVINCETOWN — Four years after Covid-19 brought live performances worldwide to a halt, the virus is still working its will on Outer Cape arts venues. The Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater […]
A MANAGEMENT ISSUE
Patients Suffer at Outer Cape’s Only Nursing Home
AdviniaCare at Seashore Point fails to meet state minimum-staffing standards
PROVINCETOWN — This past spring, a Provincetown resident who the Independent has agreed not to name to protect the person’s privacy checked into the Seashore Point nursing home for rehabilitation […]
HEALTH CARE
DPH Launches Campaign on Risks at ‘Crisis Pregnancy Centers’
But the state has little power to deny licenses to centers that mislead women
HYANNIS — In the year since medication abortion became available on Cape Cod for the first time since 2008, the landscape of access has continued to shift. Access to prescriptions […]
