Vaccines present our immune systems with hallmark fragments of the targeted disease (a target antigen, such as Covid’s signature spike protein), spurring our B cells to crank out antibodies, which […]
Health & Healthcare
DISABILITY RIGHTS
On the Outer Cape, the ADA Doesn’t Change Much
For people with disabilities, a lack of awareness and action curbs optimism
WELLFLEET — When 84-year-old Carmen Castro had a major stroke in 2017 and needed full-time care, her daughter, Belinda, quickly stepped up, adjusting to the 24-hour routine of administering medication […]
PREVENTION
Truro to Host Public Forum on Suicide Prevention
A panel of experts and survivors hopes to raise awareness and sensitivity
TRURO — A public forum on raising awareness of youth suicide and its causes and prevention will be held at the Truro Community Center from 6 to 7 p.m. on […]
ANIMAL CLINIC
How Not to Poison Your Best Friend
Alternatives to anticoagulant rodenticides are a good idea
Christine Legere’s article in the Dec. 30 edition of the Independent about Provincetown’s approach to rat control triggered many memories for me. Some were traumatic, like the memories of wild […]
RIGHTS
‘Archaic’ Policy Restricts Gay Men From Donating Blood
Warren and Markey call for end to donation ban in a national blood shortage
PROVINCETOWN — In need of a kidney transplant, Provincetown resident Bo Harris discovered that a rule blocked many of his friends from donating blood to show their support for him […]
SHARING KINDNESS
Schools and Healers Try to Comfort the Grieving
Two high school students’ deaths mobilize community support efforts
School staff and parents at Nauset Regional High School in Eastham and Monomoy Regional High School in Harwich are struggling this week to support young people who are grieving the […]
CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Intervention Before School Age Helps Children With Disabilities
What starts as ‘a difficult conversation’ can improve a child’s progress
TRURO — For parents of children with disabilities, the path from the first signs of a child’s developmental delay to a supportive school setting is a difficult one. The first […]
COVID UPDATE
An Uptick in Cases at Outer Cape Schools
Continued testing, more vaccinations, and a few new precautions
It’s been a tentative return to school for Outer Cape students after a nearly two-week-long holiday break. At the start of this week, school officials reported rising case counts and […]
THE YEAR IN HEALTH
The Problems in the Health-Care System Are Epidemic
Weak systems become weaker when tested, as they were in 2021
What if you don’t have Covid — but you still need a doctor? This question became more urgent in 2021, when many people moved to the Outer Cape to escape […]
MINISTRY
An Acupuncture Clinic in Wellfleet Seeks to Dispel Despair
A doctor offers free alternative treatment for addiction and depression
WELLFLEET — Dr. Margaret Tilton is out to change the ways people — both patients and physicians — approach treatment for depression and addiction. The starting point, she believes, is […]
HEALTH CARE
Need for Rooms at Cape Cod Hospital Exceeds Capacity
Patients face difficult choices about elective surgeries
HYANNIS — Cape Cod Hospital has been dealing with a triple threat: a recent swell in incoming Covid-19 patients, a backlog of inpatient discharges, and a pandemic-driven staffing shortage. The […]
ADDICTION
Towns, County Will Get Paltry Payouts From Opioid Suit
But millions will go to the state and a flawed treatment system
Payments from a massive class action lawsuit awarded to towns and counties hit by the opioid epidemic will be no more than a few thousand dollars a year. But the […]
COVID PREVENTION
After Mandates, Few Cape Health Workers Remain Unvaccinated
98 percent of OCHS employees have been immunized
Very few health-care workers on Cape Cod have been fired for refusing to comply with vaccine mandates, according to spokespeople at three major providers. The vaccination rates among staff at […]
COVID-19 UPDATE
Outer Cape Kids and Parents Feel Relief About Pediatric Vaccine
Gatherings, family vacations, and going back to school
PROVINCETOWN — With crayons and pages of coloring books scattered over the floor around them, Alaina and Kacey Vida sit in the waiting area of a Walgreens Pharmacy. It’s the […]
PHILANTHROPY
A Place for Hospice Will Open in Wellfleet
Chance meeting of like-minded women leads to donation of house
WELLFLEET — As president of the Friends of the Wellfleet Council on Aging, a home health aide with the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA), and a nursing home ombudsman for Elder […]
