Health

Federal agencies are investigating why 58 dead sea turtles have washed up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast since March 15. MPB’s Rhonda Miller walks with a Gulf Coast woman whose beach stroll this past Saturday was interrupted by the scent of death.

State lawmakers work in Jackson is almost done now that legislators have passed a budget for the next fiscal year that beings July first. MPB's Jeffrey Hess reports that the budget was approved in a marathon voting session Monday afternoon.

Mississippi has the highest rate of teenage deaths due to vehicle crashes, according to a recent study. MPB's Daniel Cherry reports on a campaign meant to lower that number by reminding teens to put down the phone when behind the wheel.

The Mississippi legislature has given its self more time to approve the state budget for the next fiscal year. MPB's Jeffrey Hess reports that the legislature could vote as soon as Monday on a budget compromise. 

At a Town Hall meeting in Biloxi, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood said people have been bringing new oil spill concerns and some old, frustrating ones. Hood and other legal organizations are collecting first-hand information in a series of meetings this week along the Gulf Coast. 

Hundreds of Mississippi residents from all over the state rally in opposition to proposed budget cuts.
State lawmakers are still working on the details of a state budget for the fiscal year that begins in July. MPB's Jeffrey Hess reports 

Mississippi lawmakers will take part in a 5-K run this week that signals the end of the Fit for Change program. For the past three months state legislators have been writing laws, working out, and losing weight. MPB's Jeffrey Hess reports on how legislators are helping the state fight obesity. 

Doctors are an important economic factor nationwide, and Mississippi is no exception. But as MPB’s Sandra Knispel reports, it’s no longer good enough to just cure patients – physicians also have to demonstrate their economic usefulness…if they want lawmakers to listen. 

Gulf Coast residents have an additional option for treatment of minor medical concerns with a Memorial Hospital clinic opening March 28 at Walmart in Gulfport. MPB’s Rhonda Miller reports the clinic is a model Memorial Hospital could use in other locations. 

Much has changed with health care in Mississippi since the Affordable Care Act became law, but what hasn't changed are the ardent opinions of supporters and opponents. MPB's Daniel Cherry reports on what they have to say, and how the law affects Mississippi after it's first year. 

Mississippi's leading budget writers are planning to meet with Governor Haley Barbour this morning to work on final details of the state's five-and-a-half billion dollar budget. MPB's Jeffrey Hess reports that some House Democrats are upset by the Governor's perceived lack of involvement 

Mississippi charter boat captains are having a tough time bouncing back from the BP oil spill. MPB's Rhonda Miller reports that to top it off, captains are annoyed at seeing Louisiana boats working from a Biloxi marina. MPB’s Rhonda Miller reports. 

Nearly 300 thousand Mississippians have type 2 diabetes, an incurable disease that affects the way the body uses food. MPB's Lawayne Childrey reports how healthcare providers are being trained in Jackson this week to better educate the public on this potentially deadly disease. 

A rising number of elder abuse cases is being reported across the United states. At least 3,000 incidents were reported in Mississippi last year alone. MPB's Lawayne Childrey reports why and how law enforcement is attacking the problem. 

Mississippi is one of several sites to take part in the largest long-term study of children's health ever conducted in the United States. It kicked off yesterday in Hinds County and MPB's Daniel Cherry reports on how the program is going to be conducted.