California Healthline April 5, 2024
A 17-year-old boy with shaggy blond hair stepped onto the scale at Tri-River Family Health Center in Uxbridge, Massachusetts.
After he was weighed, he headed for an exam room decorated with decals of planets and cartoon characters. A nurse checked his blood pressure. A pediatrician asked about school, home life, and his friendships.
This seemed like a routine teen checkup, the kind that happens in thousands of pediatric practices across the U.S. every day — until the doctor popped his next question.
“Any cravings for opioids at all?” asked pediatrician Safdar Medina. The patient shook his head.
“None, not at all?” Medina said again, to confirm.
“None,” said the boy named Sam, in a quiet but confident voice.
Only Sam’s...
Today's Sponsors
Today's Sponsor