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Healing House opens 15th house for drug addiction recovery

Healing House opens 15th house for drug addiction recovery

Yahoo17-05-2025

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Healing House Inc. opened their 15th house in Kansas City Friday, estimating they've transformed over 15,000 lives during the past two decades.
'What we do here is help people who have addiction issues. There's so many people dying every day with this fentanyl. It's just heartbreaking,' Healing House Founder and Director Bobbi Jo Reed said.
Texas' measles outbreak is starting to slow. The US case count climbs slightly to 1,024 cases
Jolene Carter's son Collin Carter, 22, died of an overdose in 2020. The newest house, the Collin House, is named in his honor.
'He had overdosed before, and luckily, I was able to get to him when NARCAN did save him,' she said.
The CDC significantly nationwide and in Kansas and Missouri. The founder of Healing House credits NARCAN for Missouri's 28 percent drop in overdose deaths the past year. In Kansas, drug overdose deaths fell by 15 percent during that same time frame.
'People can say you are just enabling people (supplying NARCAN). If an addict has an opportunity for a new day, one more chance, that may be the day they get it,' Reed said.
Collin's mom wishes she had that chance. It's why she provided money for the down payment for Healing House to open the home on St. John Avenue. The 10 beds will expand their total to 220.
One person taken to hospital after Kansas City apartment fire Friday night
'The spirituality that comes with healing house to me is the missing part that regular rehabs don't have. It just helps you get all the way through rather than just a part of addiction,' Carter said.
'We have folks now who are buying homes in this community who have gone through this program. So what does that do? That brings new, good life into to our community,' Reed said.
Monday, they plan to sign a construction contract on a building right down the street. It's a Family Enrichment Center with the idea that it really does take a village to kick this addiction.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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The cheap fat jabs sending big pharma into a frenzy
The cheap fat jabs sending big pharma into a frenzy

Yahoo

time27 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

The cheap fat jabs sending big pharma into a frenzy

For many Americans who tuned in to watch the Super Bowl earlier this year, it was a surprise to find themselves fat-shamed during the ad break. 'Obesity is America's deadliest epidemic,' a voiceover said, as images of wobbling bellies, greasy burgers and giant apple pies flashed across TV screens. The Super Bowl's 127m-strong audience, who were tucking into an estimated 1.5bn chicken wings during the event, were warned that 'obesity leads to half a million deaths each year'. But Hims and Hers, the US online medicines company behind the ad, said people should not blame themselves. Instead, its advert claimed that 'the system' was keeping them 'sick and stuck', adding that 'there are medications that work, but they're priced for profits, not patients'. To the relief of viewers, Hims and Hers offered a 'life-changing' solution. Rather than paying hundreds of dollars each month for well-known, branded weight-loss jabs such as Wegovy, households could instead try Hims and Hers' cheaper, replica versions. 'This is the future of healthcare,' it argued. 'Join us in the fight for a healthier America.' However, for the likes of Danish obesity drug maker Novo Nordisk and US pharma rival Eli Lilly, which have claimed the rise of copycat jabs poses potential health risks, such claims have become a serious headache. Over the past few decades, both businesses have poured billions of dollars into obesity drug research – recently yielding blockbuster drugs Wegovy and Mounjaro. The rapid uptake of such drugs has prompted a surge in revenues for big pharma. But bosses are now increasingly worried that demand among American patients has been dented by a cluster of smaller, copycat companies. According to industry estimates from November, around a quarter of the 8m Americans on weight-loss drugs were taking knock-off replica versions. These medicines, known as 'compound' drugs, were priced at around $200 ($148) a month, compared to over $1,300 for some branded versions. Barclays analyst Emily Field says the boom in copycat weight-loss drugs has been a 'unique phenomenon' in the US, sparking an inevitable surge in legal claims that has drawn the attention of regulators. So-called compound drugs are essentially custom-made medicines created by pharmacies using the same active ingredients of patented drugs. Historically, compounding pharmacies create custom versions of medicines if they need to personalise them for patients. For example, if someone is unable to take a standard oral medicine in pill form, or is allergic to an ingredient in an existing medicine. Compounding pharmacies are also typically blocked from mass-producing their drugs. For weight-loss drugs, though, it has been a different story. After the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) put semaglutide – marketed as the blockbuster obesity drug Wegovy – and tirzepatide – the same for Eli Lilly's Mounjaro – on the shortage list in 2022, compounders were allowed to ramp up production. 'It was almost like these companies found a loophole where they were allowed to do this on a mass scale,' says Field. The impact has been significant. At the start of this year, Novo Nordisk estimated that the copycat drugs accounted for around a third of the entire weight-loss market. That is despite warnings from the FDA about the health risks posed by compounded medicines, which do not have to be approved by the regulator. Beth, from Washington, says she was tempted by online ads for the compound medicines, having struggled with her weight since the pandemic. For her, the drugs helped her at a time when it seemed impossible to lose weight or stick to a diet. She dropped 30lbs over a few months of taking a compound weight-loss medicine. Others say they had little choice but to opt for compound versions, given that the branded medicines were too expensive and not covered by their health insurance. However, the situation is rapidly changing. Last month, the FDA banned mass production of copycat weight-loss treatments that use semaglutide, the ingredient in Novo Nordisk's Wegovy. It also removed tirzepatide from its shortage list last October. Novo Nordisk said the law has now made things clearer. 'Moving forward, any compounder that mass produces or sells knock-off drugs is breaking the law and compromising patient safety,' a spokesman said. Eli Lilly says the products 'pose potentially life-threatening health risks', adding: 'Patients shouldn't be exposed to risky, unapproved products when regulator-approved medicines are available.' Online medicines firms, also known as telehealth businesses, are now racing to find a way to continue getting cheaper, personalised replica drugs out to patients. Noom, a rival to Hims and Hers, has suggested it will still be able to sell compounded weight-loss drugs to patients under an exception set aside for 'personalised' medicines. Hims and Hers, meanwhile, has already struck a new deal with Novo to offer its branded obesity drug to patients. The US firm also said this month it was exploring expansion in the UK, after acquiring European rival Zava. Andrew Dudum, the Hims and Hers chief, suggested there could be 'expansive options in obesity that include that type of personalisation, or similar types', telling the Financial Times that it could sell replica obesity medicines in the UK and Europe. David Meinertz, the boss of Zava, agrees that there are opportunities for the business to grow outside of America. 'There's clearly the experience and expertise that Hims and Hers have built up in the US,' he says. 'But then we have things like the regulatory knowledge here in Zava, and this is where we combine our experiences and spearhead this effort.' Still, the situation in the UK is very different to the US. Here, the compounding pharmacy market is much smaller, with pharmacies able to prepare personalised medicines for patients if it is prescribed by a doctor. Elizabeth Philp, the co-founder of compounding pharmacy Roseway Labs, says there could be a role for more personalisation of medicines. 'The NHS will say wasted medication is one of their top issues – people who try medication, put it in their bathroom cupboard and never use it again because it didn't suit them,' she says. 'We can really help with that.' However, drug insiders argue it would be a 'very bad idea' if the UK started to think about bringing in cheaper compound medicines for weight loss. 'The real drugs are getting very cheap at volumes,' says one senior drug leader. 'Supply is not an issue.' It will be a message that Novo and Eli Lilly will seek to drum home as they seek to prevent smaller rivals from selling cheaper weight-loss medicines to patients. Still, the effects of this debate are already being felt by many in the US battling to lose weight. 'I cannot afford the full price at this time,' says Beth. 'I think it's awful that people are losing access to this medication due to finances or compounded meds going away. 'These drugs are literally life-changing.'

HEALWELL AI Leverages Orion Health to Power Entry into US Market
HEALWELL AI Leverages Orion Health to Power Entry into US Market

Yahoo

time27 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

HEALWELL AI Leverages Orion Health to Power Entry into US Market

HEALWELL launches in the U.S. market a suite of AI enabled tools to complement Orion Health's established software offerings in the U.S. This will bring together HEALWELLs globally validated AI capabilities with Orion Health's best-in-class health data infrastructure software creating a unique offering for the U.S. market. This U.S. market launch leverages Orion Health's deep U.S. sector experience, existing U.S. footprint and multi-decade track record of delivering health data infrastructure software to customers in eight U.S. states. US digital-health market spend reached $160.4 billion in 2024 and is forecast to grow at a 15.4% CAGR from 2025 to 2033 to reach $695.2 billion by 20331. As the U.S. healthcare sector is the largest globally; HEALWELL views the U.S. market as a key jurisdiction of focus. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2025) - HEALWELL AI Inc. (TSX: AIDX) (OTCQX: HWAIF) ("HEALWELL" or the "Company"), a healthcare artificial intelligence company focused on preventative care, is pleased to announce a strategic expansion into the U.S. healthcare market, aligning the group's direction following its acquisition of Orion Health. This move marks a major milestone in HEALWELL's mission to advance preventative care through AI-driven insights and trusted health data infrastructure. With over two decades of experience in the U.S, Orion Health has built a strong foundation supporting health information exchanges (HIEs), accountable care organizations (ACOs), clinically integrated networks (CINs), payers, and health systems. Its technology powers clinical data exchange across eight states, enabling thousands of clinicians to access health information for millions of patients, every day. This embedded presence will give HEALWELL immediate reach and credibility in one of the world's largest and most complex healthcare environments. To support this strategic expansion, HEALWELL has established dedicated U.S. and Canadian teams, reflecting the distinct regulatory, funding, and market dynamics of each region. "Orion has had a material presence in the USA for over two decades," said Brad Porter, Chief Commercial Officer at HEALWELL. "We now have a unique opportunity to accelerate value for our customers by combining Orion's trusted platform with HEALWELL's next-generation AI capabilities. The robust clinical validation and data lineage features differentiates these tools in the market and ultimately reduces friction with regards to clinical adoption." HEALWELL's U.S. strategy will focus on the delivery of value-based care and population health initiatives through two critical capabilities: health data infrastructure and a suite of AI-enabled tools to be made available as a compelling offering to ACOs, CINs, HIEs, payers and health systems. As regulatory frameworks like TEFCA along with convergence of standards towards FHIR reshape the national data landscape, HEALWELL is introducing a modular, FHIR-native repository to work alongside Orion's robust HL7-based data repository. This approach enables a TEFCA-ready, standards-aligned architecture that supports longitudinal patient records, interoperability, and real-time data sharing, while providing a clear upgrade path for existing HIEs and provider networks. Complementing this foundation is HEALWELL's growing suite of AI tools which will be introduced to the market, including AI-enabled clinical search, AI-enabled clinical summarisation and AI-enabled patient identification and risk stratification. These tools are designed to integrate seamlessly into existing clinical infrastructure, helping care teams surface insights faster, reduce administrative burden, and improve clinical outcomes. "The demand for clinically validated and explainable AI is growing fast," said Dr. Alexander Dobranowski, CEO of HEALWELL. "Our ability to embed these tools into existing systems rather than replace them means we can drive impact quickly, without disrupting workflows." To deepen its U.S. market presence, HEALWELL will also focus on strategic partnerships and M&A. Dr. Dobranowski adds, "As highlighted by our track record, we will be continuing to evaluate U.S. oriented partnerships, acquisition opportunities and organic expansion to ensure capital allocation matches the ambition of HEALWELLs purpose of enabling the adoption of AI driven preventative care." Beyond providers and public health systems, HEALWELL also sees growing demand from the life sciences sector, where real-world evidence (RWE) generation, decentralized clinical trial orchestration, and identifying gaps in patient care are increasingly common. With established life sciences partnerships and a platform built for scalability, HEALWELL is well-positioned to support clinical research, clinical development, and outcomes-based engagement in the U.S. market. HEALWELL's subsidiaries Pentavere and Khure Health have an established track record with U.S. life sciences and health system organizations and are currently commercially active with 7 of the top 10 largest pharmaceutical companies globally. "We're seeing real traction and a path to significant growth," said James Lee, incoming CEO of HEALWELL. "We're making excellent progress on integration and go-to-market plans, and we're seeing significant opportunities to both expand responsibly and rationalize expenses to improve operating margins. We're at the start of the curve in proving how AI can improve patient outcomes and help healthcare systems become more targeted with their resources. It's an exciting time for the industry." HEALWELL's U.S. oriented portfolio of capabilities will include HEALWELL Data as a Service, a FHIR complaint data store and a growing suite of AI-enabled tools that support clinical search, patient clinical summarisation, patient identification and patient risk stratification. These capabilities complement Orion Health's established and scaled U.S. offerings, including Amadeus Digital Care Record, Virtuoso Digital Front Door, and Communicate Direct Secure Messaging, creating an integrated platform that will deliver both infrastructure and intelligence to the frontlines of care. Dr. Alexander DobranowskiChief Executive OfficerHEALWELL AI Inc. 1 About HEALWELL HEALWELL is a healthcare artificial intelligence company focused on preventative care. Its mission is to improve healthcare and save lives through early identification and detection of disease. Using its own proprietary technology, the Company is developing and commercializing advanced clinical decision support systems that can help healthcare providers detect rare and chronic diseases, improve efficiency of their practice and ultimately help improve patient health outcomes. HEALWELL is executing a strategy centered around developing and acquiring technology and clinical sciences capabilities that complement the Company's road map. HEALWELL is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "AIDX" and on the OTCQX Market under the symbol "HWAIF". To learn more about HEALWELL, please visit Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release, constitute "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements about the potential for HEALWELL and Orion Health to develop new products and services, or to enhance or combine existing ones, and the anticipated impact of such products and services; and the anticipated timing, focus and implementation of Healwell's strategic expansion into the U.S. Market; and are based on assumptions, expectations, estimates and projections as of the date of this press release. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by words or phrases such as "mission", "opportunity", "introducing", "is engaging", "continue to", "improve" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain future conditions, actions, events or results "will", "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "can" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms . Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon management's perceptions of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as a number of specific factors and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by HEALWELL as of the date of such statements, are outside of HEALWELL's control and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies which could result in the forward-looking statements ultimately being entirely or partially incorrect or untrue. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on various assumptions, including, but not limited to, the following: HEALWELL's ability to integrate Orion Health personnel, products, services, customers and relationships; HEALWELL's and Orion Health's ability to maintain and leverage their relationships with their commercial partners; the continued adoption of the software, tools and solutions created by HEALWELL and its subsidiaries; that HEALWELL will be successful in identifying, executing and integrating new acquisitions, investments and/or partnerships, the stability of general economic and market conditions; sufficiency of working capital and access to financing; HEALWELL's ability to comply with applicable laws and regulations; HEALWELL's continued compliance with third party intellectual property rights; the effects of competition in the industry; the requirement for increasingly innovative product solutions and service offerings; technologies working as intended or at all; trends in customer growth and the adoption of new technologies in the industry; and that the risk factors noted below, collectively, do not have a material impact on HEALWELL's business, operations, revenues and/or results. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections, or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct, and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. Known and unknown risk factors, many of which are beyond the control of HEALWELL, could cause the actual results of HEALWELL to differ materially from the results, performance, achievements, or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risk factors include but are not limited to those factors which are discussed under the section entitled "Risk Factors" in HEALWELL's most recent annual information form dated March 31, 2025, which is available under HEALWELL's SEDAR+ profile at The risk factors are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect HEALWELL and the reader is cautioned to consider these and other factors, uncertainties and potential events carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's expectations and plans relating to the future. HEALWELL disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law. All of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. For more information: Pardeep S. SanghaInvestor Relations, HEALWELL AI 604-572-6392ir@ To view the source version of this press release, please visit Sign in to access your portfolio

Should Kids Get the HPV Vaccine Earlier?
Should Kids Get the HPV Vaccine Earlier?

Medscape

time42 minutes ago

  • Medscape

Should Kids Get the HPV Vaccine Earlier?

Recommending the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination to parents of 9- to 10-year-old children allowed clinicians to discuss cancer prevention and avoid the sticky subject of sexual activity that often comes up with older age groups, new research showed. The study, published in Pediatrics , also found that parents were generally open to having their 9- to 10-year-old children vaccinated for HPV. 'At ages 9-10, sexual activity was less salient, and HPV was the only vaccine to discuss,' said Caroline Tietbohl, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado in Aurora, Colorado, and lead author of the study. 'This made discussions shorter and easier and also paid forward to the 11-year-old visit, where there was now one less vaccine to discuss.' HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the US, with approximately 42 million people currently infected. The US CDC currently recommends the HPV series vaccine as part of routine vaccination beginning at age 11 years, but states that vaccination can start at age 9 years. The vaccine is highly effective for preventing several types of cancer, including cervical and oropharyngeal cancers. Two doses are recommended for most people who start the series before age 15 years, and three doses are recommended for those who start the series after age 15 years, as well as immunocompromised individuals. Yet only 40% of children between 9 years and 17 years of age have received at least one dose. Tietbohl said her team was motivated to conduct the research by persistently low completion rates of the HPV series despite strong evidence that the vaccine is safe and highly effective at preventing cancer. 'We anticipated that bringing up the HPV vaccine at this age could make the discussion easier by decoupling it from sexual activity and focusing on its purpose — cancer prevention — and this seems to have been true for many parents in our study,' Tietbohl said. She and her colleagues surveyed and interviewed pediatricians and staff between 2021 to 2022 at 17 clinics in Colorado and 16 in California. The practices were randomly assigned to either recommend the HPV vaccine to parents of the younger children or to continue at the current standard at ages of 11-12 years. Surveys assessed how the shift was implemented, while interviews provided more detail about any challenges or benefits observed. Prior to the intervention, none of the clinics had recommended the vaccine to younger patients, instead following the current standard recommendation. One month after the intervention, over 90% of clinicians in Colorado and 77% of those in California reported routinely recommending the vaccine to children at ages 9 years or 10 years. Most clinicians and staff in the intervention group reported that parents were largely receptive to the earlier recommendation, sometimes to the clinician's surprise. Many said they had expected parents to push back, assuming that discussions of the HPV vaccine would raise concerns about sexual activity or be met with hesitation. Instead, they found that conversations were easier at ages 9 years and 10 years because sexual activity was less of a consideration for parents at that age. Angela Myers, MD The findings build on evidence that parents may be more receptive when the discussion starts earlier, said Angela Myers, MD, professor of pediatrics and pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, who was not involved in the study. 'The earlier we get kids vaccinated against HPV, the better their immune response,' Myers said. 'Sexual activity becomes kind of a nonthought at age 9. That's as it should be because this is a cancer prevention vaccine.' Despite the positive response, some clinicians noted challenges, including electronic health record reminders that still reflected the older age recommendation, as well as occasional parental surprise at being offered the vaccine at a younger age. 'The main hitch was that some parents were not expecting to discuss the HPV vaccine until age 11 and had already promised their kids that the 9- or 10-year-old visit would not include shots,' Tietbohl said. The next phase of the research will focus on analyzing whether earlier vaccination improves rates of series completion by age 13 years, Tietbohl said. Myers said recommending the vaccine earlier could help improve vaccination rates by giving families more time to complete the series before adolescence. 'Every new study that gets published adds a little bit more to the story,' Myers said. 'Collectively, all of the data can help in saying, 'Perhaps we should take another look at this and perhaps we should change the language slightly.' Tietbohl and Myers did not report any relevant conflicts of interest. The study was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

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