Oklahoma: Police push to recognize PTSD as workers’ comp injury
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a growing problem for law enforcement officers, but it’s not covered by workers’ compensation in Oklahoma. The president of the Oklahoma City Fraternal Order of Police president says his team has been working for six years on a bill that would change that. News on 6
Ignored epidemic kills 7,000 New Yorkers annually
Opioid abuse, obesity and mental illness are some of the newly identified occupational hazards killing and sickening a growing number of workers in New York state, according to a new Upstate Medical University research report. Syracuse.com [may require registration]
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan sub to acquire AmeriTrust Group
A subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan on Tuesday declared its intention to purchase AmeriTrust Group Inc. from a Chinese conglomerate. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year or the first of next, according to Daniel Loepp, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan president and CEO. Detroit News
What is causing the rise in black lung disease?
Silica exposure is a driving force behind rising rates of coalminers’ pneumoconiosis, according to a new study published by occupational health experts at the University of Illinois Chicago and their collaborators. The study is the first to compare the pathology and mineralogy of black lung disease across generations. It is also the first to offer scientific evidence explaining why progressive massive fibrosis, the most severe form of black lung disease, is occurring more frequently and among younger coal workers in West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky. UIC Today