Healthcare job cuts, digital equity, methadone access

By Carrie Saldo

Published November 15, 2024 at 11:14 AM EST

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This week’s panel includes Larry Parnass, executive editor for the Springfield Republican; Matt Szafranski [not pictured], editor-in-chief of Western Mass Politics and Insight; and NEPM reporter Karen Brown.

Tony Dunne / NEPM

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Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass.

Elizabeth Román / NEPM

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A new methadone van (left) — essentially, a mobile clinic — run by Behavioral Health Network in Ware, Massachusetts.

Karen Brown / NEPM

A local healthcare provider, Baystate Health, cuts over 130 leadership jobs. We break down what it means for the workforce and healthcare in our area.

Today, computer access is extremely important to stay connected, expand job opportunities, and so much more. The city of Springfield looks to ensure digital equity for all of its residents, and we discuss the next steps toward that goal.

And, with Republicans securing majorities in the U.S. Congress, we dig into why it’s relevant to western Massachusetts.

Plus, with a rise in counterfeit pills in Massachusetts, we look at the NEPM newsroom’s new series on methadone. Despite high rates of success, for many patients trying to escape addiction, why is it so hard to get?

This week’s panel includes Larry Parnass, executive editor for the Springfield Republican; Matt Szafranski, editor-in-chief of Western Mass Politics and Insight; and NEPM reporter Karen Brown.