My friend Andy has always been a good athlete. He loves running, skiing, and tennis — and he does them all well. He was also extremely lucky, rarely getting injured. […]
Health & Healthcare
PANDEMIC
Covid Returns, but Not to ICUs
A summer wave of cases is blunted by Paxlovid
PROVINCETOWN — The summer of 2022 has brought a long-awaited but still frustrating event to Cape Cod: a Covid wave that doesn’t include high levels of hospitalization. Case numbers are […]
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
Hospital Expansion Could Trigger Abortion Access Review
The Dept. of Public Health could put pressure on Cape Cod Healthcare
HYANNIS — A proposed $137-million expansion of Cape Cod Hospital could potentially be held up or denied by the Mass. Dept. of Public Health (DPH) because the hospital’s parent organization, […]
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
Abortion Access Is Unclear on Cape Cod
Nearest clinic with comprehensive care is 110 miles away
HYANNIS — Relying on a June 28 statement from Cape Cod Healthcare (CCHC), the Independent reported two weeks ago that abortion services are not available anywhere on Cape Cod. That, […]
HEALTH CARE
Seasonal Urgent Care Clinic Opens in Orleans
Threat to Outer Cape Health Services feared
ORLEANS — Cape Cod Healthcare, the organization that owns both of Cape Cod’s hospitals and most of its medical offices, expanded its territory in the direction of the Outer Cape […]
HEALTH
With Case Counts Growing, Provincetown Gets MPV Vaccines
Large allocation of doses will help protect working people, says Cyr
PROVINCETOWN — Nationwide, the news about monkeypox continues to get worse. Case counts are still doubling every 10 days or so: 42 in Massachusetts, 156 in New York, and 9,647 […]
MPV
Amid Growing Outbreak, a Vaccine Strategy Comes Into View
The still-scarce doses will go to close contacts of monkeypox cases
PROVINCETOWN — The global outbreak of monkeypox has continued to expand. There were 23 cases in Massachusetts, 90 in New York, and 5,780 worldwide as of July 1, according to […]
ADDICTION
Experts Seek Solutions as Opioid Crisis Worsens
Needed: more methadone, testing a toxic drug supply, and supervised injection sites
PROVINCETOWN — Seventy-nine residents of Barnstable County died of opioid overdoses in 2021. That’s three more than in 2020 and marks the second-worst year on record after 2016, when 81 […]
PUBLIC HEALTH
State Leaders Detail Response to Monkeypox
Public awareness and vaccinating exposed people are key strategies
PROVINCETOWN — The official case counts for monkeypox are still low — 13 cases in Massachusetts, 63 in New York as of Tuesday, June 28. But the numbers have been […]
ABORTION RIGHTS
On the Front Lines in Waco, Texas
Truro’s Dr. Nicola Moore has served women’s needs across the nation
TRURO — Every two weeks for the last five years, Dr. Nicola Moore has made the 1,800-mile trip from Massachusetts to the Planned Parenthood clinic in Waco, Texas, where she […]
WOMEN'S HEALTH
Abortion Services Still Missing on Cape Cod
The nearest clinic is more than 90 miles away
WELLFLEET — Ever since the Women’s Health Center in Hyannis closed in 2008, abortion services have not been available anywhere on Cape Cod. The nearest abortion clinics are more than […]
PANDEMIC
Covid-19 Self-Reporting Tool Implemented in 3 Towns
Health agents hope to cover the data gap caused by at-home testing
WELLFLEET — The health agents in Provincetown, Truro, and Wellfleet have launched an online Covid-19 at-home test reporting tool that they hope can help solve a new gap in tracking […]
MONKEYPOX UPDATE
Leaders Say, ‘Don’t Panic; Be Vigilant’
Knowing the symptoms is critical to controlling spread
PROVINCETOWN — As of June 21, the Centers for Disease Control report seven confirmed cases of monkeypox in Massachusetts, 22 in New York, 37 in California, and 210 in Canada. […]
TICK TALK
Larry Dapsis: Full-Time Entomologist, Part-Time ‘Evangelist’
How to ward off tick bites, from Barnstable’s tick program coordinator
TRURO — Early in his career as an entomologist with the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, Larry Dapsis received a “dad talk” from Bill Clark, his director. Clark peered over his […]
STAFFING CRISIS
Cape Cod Village Operates at Half Capacity
The residence for adults with autism needs 40 more staff members
ORLEANS — Psychotherapists Lauren and Bob Jones finally saw the results of 11 years of hard work. The couple’s dream of creating a home for their son Alexander and other […]
