Substance Use: UNMC addiction specialist Kenneth Zoucha says kratom can have stimulant effects at low doses and opioid-like effects at higher doses. Regular use can lead to dependence and withdrawal; combining it with alcohol or opioids can dangerously slow breathing. Medical Manufacturing: BD plans to direct more than $1 billion of a $19 billion U.S. investment to Nebraska, where it has facilities in Broken Bow and Columbus. Specific local projects haven’t been announced. Cancer Care: Sidney Regional Medical Center plans to break ground Oct. 8 on a cancer center bringing PET/CT and the area’s first radiation therapy services to the Panhandle. It’s expected to open in 2028. Rural Health: Nebraska hospitals are working to expand behavioral-health access statewide, as a separate report highlights children sent out of state for serious mental-health care. Prevention: Nebraska’s Every Woman Matters program marks 35 years of preventive screenings. Antelope Memorial Hospital is also offering October nutrition sessions, while southeast Nebraska health officials provide free heart-health education and blood-pressure checks. Hospital Leadership: Brodstone named Doug Wehrman interim CEO as former CEO Treg Vyzourek takes the helm at Colorado-based inReach Health.