Health and Human Services

The St. Mary’s Food Bank is using GIS technology to get food to communities, an initiative that plays an increasingly important role as the federal government explores funding changes to benefits programs.

The state recently reached a rideshare milestone in its partnership with GoGoGrandparent, an on-demand transportation and delivery service platform designed to offer older adults greater independence at no cost.

The grant, which would have benefitted the Birmingham Biotechnology Hub, led by Southern Research, has been cancelled. The award followed its 2023 designation as one of 31 federal Tech Hubs, setting the stage for funding.

As the federal government’s approach to serving people with autism shifts under a new administration, states continue using technology to meet autistic people where they are, to provide support.

Cypress and Loara high schools in California hope that HALO smart sensors in bathrooms and locker rooms will help catch vaping students by sending instant alerts to school officials.

The county’s Office of Child Support Services has released tools designed to make it more accessible and easier for parents to use, and to get resources out faster. These include a new live chat and electronic signature.

At the University of Minnesota, medical school students have been using a virtual reality experience to understand the perspective of a woman dealing with the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s.

A law signed Wednesday by Gov. Kelly Armstrong looks to reform the “prior authorization” process for patients. It sets deadlines for that process to be made by a doctor, not AI or insurance companies.

In a five-year partnership with the biomedical research company Leidos Inc., the university will develop artificial intelligence-powered tools to diagnose and treat ailments such as heart disease and cancer.

The kiosks dispense health-related items for free, such as condoms, Narcan nasal spray, emergency blankets, tampons and pads, COVID-19 rapid antigen tests and other laboratory tests.

The library has added Visual Accessibility Kits and more specialized items to its collection, in an effort to make content more easily accessible to patrons with low vision or blindness. The kits can be checked out at its 20 branches.

Gov. Greg Abbott announced the debut Wednesday of the Naloxone Distribution Interactive Map, which shows where to get the opioid overdose-reversing drug. The state required tracking of overdoses starting in late 2023.

Cyber threats against hospitals are surging. What steps are being taken by the health-care sector to address the increasing impacts of cyber attacks? Let’s explore.

A new two-year program at a community college in Vancouver will train surgical technologists, who prepare equipment for medical procedures. The college also hopes to build partnerships with local health care providers.

In response to students hiding vape pens, a school district in Pennsylvania is considering allowing staff to use handheld security devices to scan students suspected of hiding contraband.

Data privacy remains a primary concern for government agencies adding artificial intelligence into the fidelity monitoring process, but the impact for employees — and the people they serve — can be substantial.

This comes at a time when getting a vet appointment can be a lengthy process due to a shortage of veterinary services nationwide, the retirement of older veterinarians, high turnover and increased demand.

The district is using data and technology to transform how it connects people experiencing homelessness to shelters with beds during hypothermia season. Calls to a key service hotline have dropped significantly as a result.