Credit: Zaydee Sanchez

Fentanyl: death through deceptionDaniel Joseph Puerta-Johnson didn’t know the Oxycodone pill that cost him his life contained enough fentanyl to kill up to four adults. As palabra. explains, the 16-year-old turned to self-medication during the pandemic and bought what he thought was a prescription drug over Snapchat. Instead, he joined the tens of thousands of people unknowingly put at risk of overdose and death by counterfeit and laced substances. His father, Jaime Puerta, has co-founded a nonprofit — Victims of Illicit Drugs — to mobilize communities in Los Angeles against the opioid epidemic in schools. According to a UCLA Health report, 22 teenagers between 14 to 18 years old died every week in the U.S. in 2022. Puerta, along with other advocates and parents who have lost children, are focused on educating kids and families, particularly within the Latino community. “Fentanyl poisoning is killing more people than suicide. It's killing more people than gun violence. It's killing more people than car accidents, but yet we're sitting here scratching our heads,” Puerta tells palabra.Get the full story →Plus: TWO MEDICINES | Native-Led Programs Blend Culture and Western Science to Help Relatives Through the Opioid Crisis (Native News Online)

Credit: Annapurna Pandey

California seniors are not afraid of being oldThe Odia community in California was once just four families. Now, the community is over 10,000 strong and spans four generations, all with roots in the Indian state of Odisha. Every Labor Day, this community gathers for a picnic retreat, sharing meals together, relaxing, and watching a kids’ talent show, among other performances. This year, India Currents reporter Annapurna Pandey attended the event in Santa Barbara. She was struck by the active role Odia seniors played in the retreat’s leadership, as well as the immense pride younger members felt toward these role models. “Seniors in the Odia diaspora defy the Western binary and remain young and productive,” Pandey writes. “They selflessly contribute to the community creating an alternative narrative from the individualistic perspective.”Read more at India Currents →

Credit: Phil Jones / Army Medicine

VA proposes to eliminate copays for telehealth, expand access for rural veteransThe U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) observed Veterans Day with the announcement of a new proposal to boost access to health care and quality of service for veterans. As Native News Online reports, the proposal would waive copayments for VA telehealth services, making care more affordable. It would also establish grant funding opportunities for creating places to access telehealth in other facilities not associated with the VA, especially in rural and medically sparse areas. The vision is for nonprofits and private businesses to be financially supported in setting up private, comfortable spaces that have the internet, technology, and on-site assistance needed for Veterans to reach their providers. More from Native News Online →

Highlighting the innovators transforming health outcomes in our communities

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women in the world — yet many have never been screened for it, Sahan Journal explains. Imam Sharif Mohamed, of the Islamic Civic Society of America, has partnered with doctors in Minneapolis on an initiative to increase testing access and rates among Somali Americans, using a new method that replaces pelvic exams with an at-home self-screening option. →Credit: Islamic Civic Society of America