内容摘要：A controversial study recently attributed the increase to a change in how they’re recorded: a “pregnancy checkbox” on death certificates recommended by the National Center for Health Statistics partly to fix an undercount. But the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and many doctors pushed back against

A controversial study recently attributed the increase to a change in how they’re recorded: a “pregnancy checkbox” on death certificates recommended by the National Center for Health Statistics partly to fix an undercount. But the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and many doctors pushed back against

There’s a pattern to who has access to pharmacies, with gaps forming in urban and rural neighborhoods.Residents of neighborhoods that are largely Black and Latino have fewer pharmacies per capita than people who live in mostly white neighborhoods, according to

of licensing data from 44 states, data from the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs and the American Community Survey. It’s consistent with prior research that documents where urban “pharmacy deserts” are more likely to be concentrated.The AP also analyzed data from 49 states and found those with the fewest retail pharmacies per capita include Alaska, Oregon and New Mexico. About two-thirds of retail pharmacies in those states were owned by chains, while independent pharmacies tend to concentrate more in urban markets or states with bigger populations.Drugstores have become

in recent years, sometimes by design or necessity — especially for customers who work multiple jobs and can’t easily get to a doctor. Many pharmacies, including, offer clinics and more than a dozen vaccines to treat patients. They’ve also encouraged pharmacists to counsel patients more on managing conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure.

Prakash Patel at Bert’s Pharmacy in Elizabeth, New Jersey, said sometimes the pharmacy is a sick customer’s “first stop.”

“There is no easy access to a doctor’s office. You need an appointment. They have limited hours,” the store owner and pharmacist said. “So any time any child or adult — whoever is sick — where are they going to go first? To the pharmacy.”Fights occasionally break out. The veterinary bill for the center is nearly $40,000 a year, and it’s a constant process of rescue, rehabilitation, and then trying to rehome them, with more pugs arriving all the time.

“The operation doesn’t stop,” said Gaw.There is a reason why so many pugs need a new home. Their short muzzles, a mark of the breed, give rise to breathing problems and other health issues like eye and ear infections, she said. A pug’s vet costs are not to be sniffed at and Gaw warns prospective owners to do their homework and get a good pet insurance policy: “You’re going to need it.”

Many of the pugs have come to the Gaws because their owners can’t afford those vet bills. Be prepared for their problems, she said, and also the hair, which she can’t stress enough.“They shed an enormous amount of hair,” she said. ”You can brush them all day long, they still shed.”