“MEDICAL SUPPLIES AVAILABLE:

The New Bedford Health Department has free medication organizers, sharps disposal containers, and medicine deactivation and disposal bags available for the public.

With support from the state’s Public Health Excellence program, these supplies are available ament-offers-free-mt no cost. Stop by our office at 1213 Purchase Street in New Bedford between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, to pick up items.

Call 508-991-6199 with questions.”-New Bedford Health Department.

New Bedford Health Department photo.

New Bedford Health Department photo.

New Bedford Health Department photo.

“WASHINGTON, D.C. – During National Poison Prevention Week, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is highlighting serious, growing hazards facing young children, including a surge in unintentional poisoning from narcotics, and additional hazards identified with water bead products.

CPSC’s just-released report on unintentional pediatric poisonings found that 98 children under the age of 5 died from poisonings in 2022, a 66% increase from 2021. This increase was largely linked to narcotics and psychodysleptics. Deaths in this category nearly doubled in one year, from 33 in 2021 to 59 in 2022.

The report underscored the growing risks associated with these substances, with pediatric poisoning deaths in the U.S. rising steadily since 2019 from a low of 17 deaths in 2018; the lowest since CPSC was created in 1972.

Additionally, the report found that there were 68,600 emergency department-treated (ED-treated) injuries in children under 5 in 2022, a nearly 10% increase from the estimated 62,600 injuries in 2021.

Notably, the estimated injuries from pediatric poisonings involving acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and narcotics medications increased from 2021 to 2022:

• Acetaminophen incidents increased from an estimated 4,700 related ED-treated injuries to 5,700;

• Ibuprofen incidents increased from an estimated 2,000 related ED-treated injuries to 3,600; and

• Narcotic medication incidents increased from an estimated 1,200 related ED-treated injuries to 2,500.

“The recent rise in pediatric poisonings is heartbreaking,” said CPSC Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric. “Keeping drugs, as well as cleaning supplies, laundry packets, and button batteries safely out of reach is vital to protecting children. The CPSC is committed to preventing such tragedies by enforcing laws requiring safe packaging of poisonous substances, holding companies accountable for selling deadly products, and arming caregivers with information on how to keep their little ones safe.”

CPSC Issues Product Safety Warnings for Water Bead Products:

CPSC also today issued two product safety warnings related to new evidence pointing to toxicity in some water bead products, which may lead to adverse health effects in children.

In separate warnings, CPSC urged consumers to throw away water bead products from Jangostor and Tuladuo due to acrylamide levels that present the risk of toxicity. Neither Chinese company has agreed to an acceptable recall

The product warnings highlight that water bead hazards can go beyond ingestion, expansion and obstruction inside a child. Acrylamide is a known carcinogen. The large water beads in CPSC’s warnings contain levels of acrylamide in violation of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.

CPSC data show that nearly 7,000 water bead-related ingestion injuries were treated in emergency departments in the U.S. from 2018 through 2022. CPSC is also aware of the death of a 10-month-old girl in 2023.

Protect young children from poisoning dangers following a few safety tips:

Drugs or Medications:

• Keep drugs and medications safely stored in a locked cabinet or box and out of the reach of children.
• Keep drugs and medicines in their original child-resistant containers and never in unsecured containers.
• Properly discard unfinished or unused drugs and medicines.

Water Beads:

• CPSC Recommendation: Remove water beads from any environment where young children may be present.
• Store water beads in a secure container and location where young children cannot easily access them.
• Do not allow children to play with water beads unsupervised.

Laundry Packets:

• Store laundry packets in their original containers and out of a child’s sight and reach.
• Do not let children handle laundry detergent packets.

Household Cleaning Supplies:

• Keep chemicals and cleaning supplies safely stored in a locked cabinet or box and out of the reach of children.
• Keep household chemicals in their original child-resistant containers.

Button Cell or Coin Batteries:

• Keep products with accessible batteries away from children if the battery compartments do not have a screw closure or if the compartment is damaged.
• Check the toys in your home to make sure battery compartments are secured.
• Do not allow children to play with or be in contact with button cell or coin batteries.

In Case of Emergency: Call National Poison Help Line at 800-222-1222, 24 hours a day.”-Consumer Product Safety Commission.

CPSC’s Annual Report on Pediatric Poisoning Fatalities and Injuries

“NEW BEDFORD, Mass. – Southcoast Health patients, providers, staff, donors and leadership gathered at a ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning to celebrate the completion of the brand new state-of-the-art Southcoast Health Pediatric Rehabilitation location at 4543 Acushnet Ave. in New Bedford.

This new location will begin seeing patients on Monday, March 25, 2024, and will accommodate over 31,000 patient visits each year as the most comprehensive pediatric rehabilitation program in the region.

“Today marks the culmination of a vision and a collaborative effort unmatched in our community,” said David O. McCready, President & CEO of Southcoast Health at the event. “Last fall, when we learned this program would need to vacate our leased location, we acted immediately and made the commitment to ensure these critical services would continue, without interruption, for thousands of children in the South Coast region. I want to thank the Board of Trustees, our design and construction team, the city of New Bedford and most importantly our pediatric rehabilitation care team for their unwavering support and ongoing efforts to ensure there was not critical service gap for our patients who depend on this service.”

Southcoast Health photo.

Since October 2023, Southcoast Health expediently invested more than $4 million to build and renovate a state-of-the-art 5,500 sq. ft. facility that includes treatment rooms, three physical therapy rooms and ample clinical support space.

Averaging more than 80 patients per day, the program staffs 34 professional therapists from a variety of disciplines including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology delivering services to families six days per week.

“This is an incredible achievement for our community to be able to open a dedicated and specialized space for pediatric rehabilitation,” said Tonya Johnson, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Southcoast Hospitals Group. “These services are life changing and we know how much it means for families and patients to be able to receive care where they live without having to travel to Boston or Providence.”

“And as wonderful as the physical space is, it is the expert and caring staff and clinicians who care for this patient population who make the biggest difference. Now, because of this rehabilitation program, they have even more resources to offer,” Johnson added.

Patricia Krowel, the mother of a pediatric rehabilitation patient spoke at the event, sharing how these services have greatly benefited her family.

Southcoast Health photo.

“My daughter, Arianna, has been coming to this program at Southcoast since she was about one and a half years old. She survived a stroke in utero, and when we first found out, I didn’t know where to turn. At that time 9 years ago, I was referred to Southcoast Health. Because of this amazing program, she is able to walk, jump, use both of her hands together, and I am so thankful for all of her therapists who have been with her since she was a baby,” said Patricia.

“Now she still continues to do her best and is so proud to come to therapy and show them all of the things she can do. Each member of this team is so caring and they constantly think about the kids even when they are not here. I am so grateful for them and the services they provide for Arianna and many other children in our community.”

This new facility will serve patients from newborns up to young adults 22 years of age from throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and Southern Rhode Island.

“This program is a shining example of Southcoast Health’s commitment to our community,” said Donald Giumetti, Chair of the Board of Trustees for Southcoast Health. “Today we’re here to celebrate this ambitious project coming to fruition – and I, for one, couldn’t be prouder of how everyone came together to ensure we provide the best care for our patients close to home.”

To learn more about Southcoast Health’s Pediatric Rehabilitation Program please visit www.southcoast.org/locations/pediatric-rehab.

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About Southcoast Health
Founded in 1996, Southcoast Health serves communities across southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island as the largest provider of primary and specialty care in the region. The not-for-profit, charitable system includes three acute care hospitals – Charlton Memorial in Fall River, St. Luke’s in New Bedford (a Level II Trauma Center), and Tobey in Wareham, Massachusetts with a physician network of more than 675 providers.

With upward of 7,500 employees, Southcoast Health is the largest employer in southeastern Massachusetts, and one of the largest employers in the Commonwealth, according to the Boston Business Journal. More information is available online at www.southcoast.org.“

“FALL RIVER, Mass. – Dr. Adam Saltzman, Medical Director of the Structural Heart Disease Program at Southcoast Health with Dr. Ramin Davoudi, Medical Director of Electrophysiology, Dr. Nitesh Sood, Director of Southcoast Health’s Atrial Fibrillation Wellness Program, and the outstanding team at Southcoast Heart & Vascular have completed over 600 WATCHMAN procedures to treat patients with Atrial Fibrillation.

Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) is an abnormal heart rhythm characterized by a rapid and irregular heartbeat, called an arrhythmia. According to the American Heart Association, untreated AFib doubles the risk of heart-related deaths, and patients with AFib are five times more likely to suffer a stroke than individuals with a normal heart rhythm.

Southcoast Health photo.

“As the region’s leading heart and vascular hospital, we are proud to have been offering this innovative procedure to those with Atrial Fibrillation for over eight years,” Saltzman said. “Atrial Fibrillation greatly increases a patient’s risk of stroke, a leading cause of death and disability. The Watchman device mitigates stroke risk similarly to blood thinners. This milestone represents the team’s dedication to treating this common arrhythmia and I am so proud of the region leading program we have built here at Southcoast Health.”

This procedure provides a one-time treatment option for patients with Atrial Fibrillation that is a permanent alternative to taking oral blood thinners every day for the rest of their lives. Charlton Memorial Hospital first implemented Boston Scientific’s WATCHMAN device to treat patients with Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib) on August 24, 2015.

Today, AFib is one of the most common heart arrhythmias and the CDC estimates that 12.1 million people in the United States will have AFib in 2030.

Southcoast Health photo.

Congratulations to our amazing team on reaching this impressive milestone!

For more information about Southcoast Health’s Heart & Vascular services visit Top Cardiologist Southeast MA | Southcoast Health.

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About Southcoast Health
Founded in 1996, Southcoast Health serves communities across southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island as the largest provider of primary and specialty care in the region. The not-for-profit, charitable system includes three acute care hospitals – Charlton Memorial in Fall River, St. Luke’s in New Bedford (a Level II Trauma Center), and Tobey in Wareham, Massachusetts with a physician network of more than 675 providers.

The system has established more than 55 service locations across the South Coast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including six urgent care locations, a Visiting Nurse Association, the Southcoast Health Cancer Center, the region’s only Level II Adult Trauma Center and numerous ancillary facilities.

Southcoast Health has been recognized consecutively for six years in a row as a Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospital from 2019-2024 and named a Maternity Care Access Hospital for 2023-2024 by U.S. News & World Report. The organization was recognized as the best place to work for the sixth consecutive year by Southcoast Media Group’s community choice awards.

With upward of 7,500 employees, Southcoast Health is the largest employer in southeastern Massachusetts, and one of the largest employers in the Commonwealth, according to the Boston Business Journal. More information is available online at www.southcoast.org.”

February is Children’s Dental Health Month! Here are 5 tips for keeping your kid’s smile shining bright, from Dr. Sean & South Coast Smiles in Dartmouth.

Let’s face it: Our little ones’ pearly whites are prone to tooth decay, one of the most common chronic but preventable childhood diseases in the U.S. Not to worry!

Aside from silly socks, giveaways, and a whole lot of comic book knowledge, SouthCoast pediatric dentist Dr. Sean Ghassem-Zadeh and the kid-friendly, experienced team of 20+ years at South Coast Smiles in Dartmouth has got your child’s back (and bite!).

South Coast Smiles photo.

As Best Pediatric Dental Clinic winner of the 2023 SouthCoast Community’s Choice Awards, and with 180+ 5-star reviews, you can trust South Coast Smiles as your local pediatric dentistry experts.

1. Start a Routine Early: Once those first baby teeth appear, brush them with an infant toothbrush and a tiny dab of toothpaste the size of a grain of rice, increasing to pea-size by age 3. Get the whole family involved in a brushing & flossing party. Maintaining good dental hygiene is easy when it’s a daily vibe! We’re also here to make brushing a positive experience with different techniques to try.

2. Promote Healthy Eating: Limit sugary snacks and drinks, and opt for a well-balanced diet with fruits, veggies, and calcium-rich foods. Encourage your little guppy to drink plenty of water, especially after eating. This helps rinse away food particles and neutralizes acids in the mouth, reducing cavity risk and staining.

3. Nurture New Habits: Thumb-sucking, pacifier, and nail-biting habits impact dental development and alignment. When your child succeeds in quitting, tell Dr. Sean or your hygienist for a special reward! For little athletes playing contact sports, make a habit of using a mouthguard to protect those chompers from injury!

South Coast Smiles photo.

4. Watch & Lead by Example: Kids aren’t pros at brushing until about 6 or 7 years old. Make sure they’re hitting all tooth surfaces, and show them how it’s done! Let your mini-me see their hero (you!) happily brushing, flossing, and visiting the dentist regularly.

5. Don’t Skip Check-ups: Regular visits to a pediatric dentist are key for monitoring oral health and preventing or addressing any concerns early on. Many parents don’t know it’s time to call for an appointment with Dr. Sean if your child’s first tooth appears by 6 months, or around their first birthday.

Book an appointment today! Call (508) 997-2400 or visit www.SouthCoastSmiles.com. Serving Dartmouth, New Bedford, Fall River, Fairhaven, and beyond, South Coast Smiles specializes in pediatric dentistry for infants, kids, and teens, and offers quality pediatric dental services like:

• Preventive care for long-term dental health, including regular cleanings, fluoride treatments, and dental sealants

• Common dental procedures like fillings, crowns, and extractions

• Special needs dentistry, including behavioral management for autistic children and those with down syndrome, sensory conditions, or anxiety

• Dental emergency care

__________________________________________________________________

South Coast Smiles
92 Faunce Corner Road, Suite 150,
North Dartmouth, MA, United States, 02747

Phone: (508) 997-2400
EMail: frontdesk@southcoastsmiles.com
Office hours are Monday – Thursday: 8:00am to 4:30pm

Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084204024030
Website: southcoastsmiles.com/

“Candida auris (C. auris) is a type of yeast that can cause severe illness and spreads easily among patients in healthcare facilities. It is often resistant to antifungal treatments, which means that the medications that are designed to kill the fungus and stop infections do not work.

Symptoms
C. auris can cause infections in different parts of the body such as in the bloodstream, open wounds, and ears. The symptoms depend on the location and severity of C. auris infection. Symptoms may be similar to symptoms of an infection caused by bacteria. There is not a common set of symptoms specific for C. auris infections.

Colonization
People can get C. auris on their skin and other body sites without getting sick or having an infection. You may hear healthcare providers refer to this as ‘colonization.’ Someone who is colonized can still transmit C. auris onto surfaces or objects that they contact, which can then spread it to other patients.

IBSA Foundation photo.

Diagnoses (Testing and Screening)
There are two ways that a healthcare provider can see if a patient is infected or colonized with C. auris.

• Colonization screening– a healthcare provider swabs the patient’s skin by rubbing a swab near the armpits and groin and sends the swab to a laboratory for testing.

• Clinical specimen testing– If a patient is showing symptoms of an infection of unknown cause, a healthcare provider may collect a clinical sample, like blood or urine. They usually test for many types of infections including those caused by bacteria and the results may show that the patient has C. auris.

Retesting patients infected or colonized with C. auris is not recommended and should not be used to change infection control measures because it does not ensure that the patient no longer has C. auris on their skin or other body sites and will not spread it to others.

Not a Threat to Healthy People
In general, C. auris is not a threat to healthy people. CDC typically does not recommend screening or testing family members. Family members should use alcohol-based hand sanitizer or wash their hands before entering and leaving a patient’s room and before and after contact with the patient or a patient’s medical devices.

If a family member or someone else with frequent contact with a patient with C. auris needs to receive care at a healthcare facility, they should tell the healthcare provider.

Patients and family members should talk to a healthcare provider or the facility’s management if they are concerned about infection protection and control.

Risk Factors
C. auris mostly affects patients with severe underlying medical conditions and requiring complex medical care. Patients with invasive medical devices like breathing tubes, feeding tubes, catheters in a vein, or urinary catheters tend to be at increased risk for getting C. auris and developing an infection.

Healthy people without these risk factors, including healthcare workers and family members, have a low risk for getting infected with C. auris.

Resistance and Treatment
C. auris is often resistant to commonly used antifungal medications, most C. auris infections are treatable with a class of antifungal medicines called echinocandins.

However, some C. auris strains have been resistant to all three main classes of antifungal medicines, meaning none are able to treat the infection. In this situation, multiple antifungal medicines or newer antifungals may be used to treat the infection.

Patients who are colonized (have C. auris detected on their body but do not have symptoms of infection) should not be treated with antifungals for C. auris. There is no evidence that this prevents sickness.

Outcomes
C. auris can cause a variety of infections from superficial (skin) infections to more severe, life-threatening infections. C. auris is the most dangerous when it causes invasive infections, such as bloodstream infections. However, many of the patients who become sick with C. auris are usually already very sick, which makes it hard to know how much C. auris contributed to their death.

Preventing Spread
Patient care goes beyond treating or managing an illness or condition. Sick patients face added risks of getting new infections in healthcare settings, even when staff follow prevention guidelines.

If a patient is colonized or infected, healthcare providers take special steps to prevent the spread of C. auris, including placing the patient in a room separated from those at risk, cleaning the rooms with special disinfectant products, and wearing gloves and gowns to deliver care.

Healthcare facilities should be informed if an incoming patient has ever:

• Tested positive for C. auris, with or without symptoms.
• Was exposed to another patient with C. auris.
• Was in a facility where an outbreak was occurring.

Patients with C. auris often continue to have it on their skin or other body sites for a very long time, whether or not they ever have symptoms. In most situations, these measures to prevent spread continue the whole time the patient is in the facility. However, some facilities, like some nursing homes, determine prevention measures on a case-by-case basis and based on the facility’s policy.”-CDC.

You can read the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s C. auris Fact Sheet here and their Colonization Fact Sheet on how it spreads here. You can download a 2-page PDF to read and share here.

By Alison Kuznitz
State House News Service

Warning undocumented children cannot wait another legislative session before potentially gaining access to government-sponsored health insurance coverage, Sen. Sal DiDomenico looked to drum up support for his proposal Thursday before a large crowd of health care advocates who visited Beacon Hill to lobby lawmakers.

Some 40,000 children and young adults under age 21 who meet eligibility criteria for MassHealth but lack coverage due to their immigration status could secure coverage under bills from DiDomenico and Rep. Dave Rogers (S 740 / H 1237), a DiDomenico aide said.

Without any dissenting votes, the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing reported the bills out favorably in October to the Senate Ways and Means Committee, where Democrats last session took no further action on the so-called “Cover All Kids Act.”

“We can’t wait two more years to file this bill again because a whole group of children are not going to have access to health care, or eye glasses, hearing aids, wheelchairs, medication,” said DiDomenico (D-Everett).

The renewed advocacy comes as Massachusetts continues to deal with a flood of new arrivals seeking emergency shelter here, with state costs expected to hit $1 billion this fiscal year and next year.

Expanding MassHealth coverage to eligible, undocumented youth under 21 would cost more than $100 million. Suzanne Curry, director of policy and government relations at advocacy group Health Care for All, has pegged the price at $112 million with about 31,000 children enrolling and $166 million with about 48,000 children enrolling.

Asked whether the state could afford the MassHealth expansion given the recent weak growth in tax collections, DiDomenico said the budget encompasses the state’s values.

“If we’re trying to provide health care for our kids and make sure that we pick up the most vulnerable among us, this is the bill. So if we say government works for everybody in the state, then this bill will prove that, and you know, the cost in my mind is something we can absorb,” DiDomenico told the News Service.

He added, “If you don’t agree with giving them health care, then the other side of this is it’s costing you more in the long run for not providing these things upfront. For folks that say we don’t want to explore this possibility, we are paying for it many times over in a different way, and so the cost that we put upfront is actually less than the burden on our health care system than it would be otherwise.”

Existing state law denies MassHealth coverage to most undocumented youth, said Attorney General Andrea Campbell, who estimated that population at between nearly 30,000 to 50,000 individuals. Massachusetts and New Hampshire are the only New England states that haven’t expanded state health insurance access for all children, Campbell said.

“Sadly, children requiring urgent and essential medical treatment, either due to complex disabilities or other significant health care needs, don’t have access to the very things that will save their life, or at least give them everything they need to thrive, simply due to circumstances outside of their control due to the immigration status of their families,” Campbell said.

The economics of the legislation is a “no-brainer,” the attorney general said, asserting that the state will benefit from health care savings due to fewer emergency room visits, hospitalizations and disability benefit payments.

Dr. Alexandra Santana Almansa, a neurology fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital, recounted how a young boy was repeatedly admitted to the hospital after he couldn’t obtain epilepsy medicine to prevent seizures.

“It wasn’t a rare medication — it was medication that we use in many of our patients,” she said. “But because of his immigration status, he was not able to get the medication that he needed.”

“FAIRHAVEN, FALL RIVER, NEW BEDFORD and WAREHAM, Mass. – Beginning Tuesday, January 2, portraits of the 2023 President’s Award for Excellence honorees will be displayed in all three Southcoast Health hospitals, Charlton Memorial, St. Luke’s and Tobey, as well as in the system’s Fairhaven Business Center.

This award is presented annually to recognize exemplary individuals across the system that are nominated by their peers for demonstrating what it means to be More than medicine. In 2023, 33 employees were celebrated for their extraordinary work to support Southcoast Health’s patients, visitors and staff.

“We are so fortunate to have outstanding providers, nurses, and staff who are committed to providing exceptional care to our community,” said Ray Kruger, MD, FACS, President and CEO of Southcoast Health System. “Each of our 2023 President’s Award honorees have gone above and beyond to make Southcoast Health an exceptional place to work and receive care. Collaborating with various departments across the system, these individuals hold themselves to the highest standard of excellence to advance the care and services we provide across the region.”

Each year, Southcoast Health employees nominate more than a hundred colleagues across the system for this recognition. Honorees are chosen based on how well they meet the selection criteria of excellent performance and demonstration of Southcoast Health’s values.

“Joining Southcoast Health earlier this fall, I am so impressed by the remarkable culture of collaboration and respect across our many locations,” said David McCready, President and CEO of Southcoast Hospitals Group. “This positive culture is something to be extremely proud of, because in healthcare, it truly takes each member of our team to deliver an exceptional patient experience. We all have a unique role to play in patient care and the only way we can be successful is by working together. These awards exemplify this spirit of collaboration and acknowledges the dedication of each honoree to caring for our community.”

2023 President’s Award for Excellence Honorees:

Donna Franco, Environmental Services, Housekeeper.

Maria Da Costa, Manager, Interpreter Services.

Karen Dockery, HR Program & Analytics Manager.

Lisa Bechard, RN MS, Executive Director, Clinical Systems, Chief Nursing Information Officer.

Kevin Paulson, Manager of Investigation and Training, Department of Public Safety.

Rachel Tolan, RRT, Respiratory Therapist.

Samba Cande, Personal Computer Technician.

Michael Johns, BS, R.T.(R), Clinical Educator of Diagnostic Radiology.

Susan Wood, Medical Laboratory Technician.

Donna Kincman, Manager of Volunteer Services and Visitor Management.

Kathleen Shubitowski, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CEN, Clinical Expert Nurse, Professional Development.

Jessica Inwood, MD, Medical Weight Management Physician.

The Fairhaven Radiology Team:

• Lynn Thompson – Manager
• Pablo Corral – Team Leader
• Anthony Rezendes
• Richard Geada
• Natalie Gomes
• Helga Pacheco
• Mary Jane (MJ Dion)
• Gregory Newcomb
• Michael Magalhaes
• Michelle Garell
• Kristine Tavares

To learn more about the 2023 President’s Awards, please visit: Southcoast Health 2023 President’s Award Honorees.

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About Southcoast Health
For more than 25 years, Southcoast Health has served communities across southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island as the largest provider of primary and specialty care in the region. The not-for-profit, charitable system includes three acute care hospitals – Charlton Memorial in Fall River, St. Luke’s in New Bedford (a Level II Trauma Center), and Tobey in Wareham – as well as a network of over 700 physicians, hospitalists, and midlevel practitioners.

With upward of 7,500 employees, Southcoast Health is the largest employer in southeastern Massachusetts, and one of the largest employers in the Commonwealth, according to the Boston Business Journal. More information is available online at www.southcoast.org.“

“In honor of Lung Cancer Awareness Month in November, the Southcoast Health Cancer Center hosted a preventative lung cancer screening event for eligible patients and community members.

“Statistically around 237,000 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year,” said Dr. Tammy Gleeson, a Thoracic Surgeon at Southcoast Health. “Early detection is crucial for effectively treating lung cancer in its early stages and events like this play an important role encouraging patients be proactive when it comes to their health.”

Of the 50 event attendees screened, 28 qualified for further screening and were scheduled for a CT scan.

Southcoast Health established a comprehensive open Lung Cancer Screening Program in 2019. This year the program is on track to double the amount of screenings performed in 2019 providing this service to more than 2,600 high-risk individuals in 2023.

According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. This disease does not always present symptoms in the early stages and the national average survival rate is just 25 percent. Early detection is vital to the fight against lung cancer, with research showing that the early-stage survival rate is much higher at 61 percent.

Preventative screenings are recommended for individuals who meet the following criteria:

• Age 50-80
• Smoking history of equal to or greater than 20 pack-years
• Is an ex-smoker and quit within the last 15 years
• No chest CT exam within the past year

Identifying lung cancer earlier can help expand treatment options including surgery with advanced technology such as the Ion Endoluminal System at Southcoast Health, which can help diagnose and treat lung cancer during the same procedure.

“With cancer center locations in Fall River and Fairhaven, it is our privilege to be able to provide our community with this opportunity to learn about and take proactive measures with their lung health,” said Kathy Moraes, Director of Medical Oncology at Southcoast Health. “Events like this help us save lives in our community. I am so proud of our team for putting this event together and we had an amazing turnout.”

To request more information about our Screening Program, please call (508) 973-7579, email CTLungScreening@southcoast.org or speak with your primary care provider.

To learn more about lung cancer prevention and treatment please visitsouthcoast.org/services/cancer-care/lung-cancer/.”

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) today released an investigative report outlining additional steps the cannabis industry should take to prevent work-related asthma and sent a bulletin to health care providers in the Commonwealth urging vigilance in identifying work-related asthma among workers in that industry.

These steps were taken after an investigation conducted by DPH and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) confirmed that the first known occupational asthma fatality in the US cannabis workforce happened last year in Massachusetts. The bulletin reminds providers that they are mandated to report cases of work-related asthma and other respiratory diseases to DPH.

The investigation, which was highlighted in today’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, focused on the circumstances surrounding the death of a 27-year-old production technician who suffered a fatal asthma attack in January 2022 while at work at an indoor cannabis cultivation and processing facility in Massachusetts. The worker’s death occurred seven months after she started employment at the facility and three months after she began working as a flower technician, which involved processing and handling whole and ground cannabis flower buds.

While this is the only known asthma death in the US cannabis industry, other cases of non-fatal respiratory disease among Massachusetts workers in that industry have been reported. Cannabis industry workers can be routinely exposed to various occupational respiratory hazards, including cannabis dust, mold, volatile organic compounds, pollen, bacterial endotoxins, pesticides, soil components, and cleaning disinfectants, which can cause and/or exacerbate chronic diseases, like asthma, if not addressed. Massachusetts has more than 500 licensed cannabis industry employers that provides jobs to 22,000 workers.

“The legalized cannabis industry in Massachusetts is relatively new and the impact on the health and safety of workers demands our careful attention,” said Public Health Commissioner Robert Goldstein, MD, PhD. “As this workforce continues to expand, it will require all of us working together – state and federal agencies, regulators, healthcare providers, and the cannabis industry – to improve working conditions for these employees. At DPH, we will continue to identify and follow up on these cases using our long-standing public health surveillance system for work-related respiratory disease and continue to work with our partners on documenting cases, building evidence around workplace hazards, and on intervention and policy.”

Work-related asthma – or asthma caused or exacerbated by exposures at work – is underrecognized in part because work-related asthma symptoms and industry and occupation data are not routinely collected as part of the physical exam or documented in the medical record, the bulletin to health care providers states.

Approximately 17 percent of new-onset adult asthma cases are related to workplace exposures. Regardless of the cause, an estimated 22-to-58 percent of adults with asthma nationwide suffer work-related exacerbations, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). In Massachusetts, an estimated 200,000 adults have work-related asthma, data from DPH’s Occupational Health Surveillance Program show.

Early recognition of work-related asthma can lead to both medical and workplace interventions that improve patient outcomes and mitigate exposure to the source.

In its bulletin, DPH urged health care providers to:

– Ask patients with new or worsening respiratory or allergic symptoms what they do for work and how it affects their health.
– Perform diagnostic testing, such as allergy testing, pulmonary imaging, and/or spirometry.
– Recommend workplace changes to avoid further exposure, as avoidance of workplace exposure is imperative.
– Report cases of work-related asthma and other work-related respiratory diseases to DPH, as required by law.

Employers also play a critical role in prevention.

The report on the investigation of the Massachusetts worker’s death was prepared by DPH’s Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) program, which conducts investigations on the causes of work-related fatalities. The report includes six recommendations for cannabis employers, equipment manufacturers, and the state’s Cannabis Control Commission to improve the health and safety of cannabis industry workers.

“This investigation, which is part of an ongoing collaboration between OSHA and DPH, has identified cannabis dust as an occupational allergen with the potential to cause fatal occupational asthma,” said Virginia Weaver, MD, MPH, Lead Physician, OSHA Occupational Medicine Resident Elective. “The case indicates the importance of identifying allergens in the workplace as early as possible and the need for experienced healthcare providers to manage workers who develop occupational allergies.”

To improve worker safety, the investigative report recommended that:

– Employers should assess and control hazardous materials in the workplace, including asthmagens.
– Employers should ensure that all workers are properly trained about hazardous materials in the workplace.
– Employers should develop and implement a comprehensive safety and health program that addresses hazard recognition, avoidance of unsafe conditions, and proper use of equipment.
– Employers should implement a medical surveillance program to monitor the health of their workers.
– Equipment manufacturers should adopt and implement the concept of Prevention through Design (PtD) to identify potential hazards associated with equipment and then eliminate these hazards through design changes.
– Industry licensing agencies in Massachusetts should consider how they can further support the health and safety of cannabis industry workers.

“Levels of exposure to cannabis dust at work are much higher than what is present during recreational use,” said Emily Sparer-Fine, Director of DPH’s Occupational Health Surveillance Program. “Work processes that include grinding and concentrating an allergen need to be better controlled. It is critical for employers to assess and control exposure to hazardous materials, including the respiratory hazards found in the cannabis processing facilities, such as cannabis dust.”

Employers should utilize the Commonwealth’s Department of Labor Standards’ free and confidential On-Site Consultation service designed to help them recognize and control possible safety and health hazards at their worksites and establish and improve safety and health programs. The goal of the service is to prevent injuries and illnesses that are the result of hazardous workplace conditions and practices.