Coronavirus Tests Public Health Infrastructure In The Heartland
While Missouri has yet to have a confirmed case of coronavirus, the threat of the disease is siphoning resources from an already stretched-thin public health system.
Midwest Bureau
Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News covers health care in the Midwest, with a bureau headquartered in St. Louis and staff reporters based in Iowa, Michigan, and South Dakota.
901-920 of 953 results
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No Quick Fix: Missouri Finds Managing Pain Without Opioids Isnāt Fast Or Easy
In the first nine months of an alternative pain management program in Missouri, only a small fraction of the stateās Medicaid recipients have accessed the chiropractic care, acupuncture, physical therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy meant to combat the overprescription of opioids.
By Lauren Weber -
Conservative Indiana Adopted Needle Exchanges But Still Faces Local Resistance
Indiana was ground zero for shifting ideas about needle exchanges after a small town had an HIV outbreak in 2015 brought on by needle-sharing. But even as other parts of the country start to embrace needle exchanges amid the ongoing opioid epidemic, the sites remain controversial in Indiana. Only nine of the stateās 92 counties have them, after a series of closures and reopenings.
By Giles Bruce -
Patients Stuck With Bills After Insurers Donāt Pay As Promised
Insurance companies often require patients to have medical procedures, devices, tests and even some medicines preapproved to ensure the insurers are willing to cover the costs. But that doesnāt guarantee theyāll end up paying. Some patients are getting stuck with unexpected bills after the medical service has been provided.
By Lauren Weber -
Conceived Through ‘Fertility Fraud,’ She Now Needs Fertility Treatment
Years ago, doctors sometimes lied about whose sperm they used for artificial inseminations. Could it happen now? Some argue regulation is weak in the multibillion-dollar fertility treatment industry.
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Listen: How Vaping Regulations Are Playing Out In The States
KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber joined Wisconsin Public Radioās Rob Ferrett on āCentral Timeā to discuss the latest on vaping bans and what they mean for vaping trends among youth.
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No Shield From X-Rays: How Science Is Rethinking Lead Aprons
A number of radiology organizations are trying to end the decades-old practice of shielding patients from radiation with lead aprons. They say it provides no benefit and might even inadvertently expose people to higher radiation levels. But the policy about-face is moving slowly.
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Family Doctors In Rural America Tackle Crisis Of Addiction And Pain
For rural physicians, the burden of responding to the opioid epidemic falls squarely on their already loaded shoulders. For one doctor in a small Wisconsin village, there was no question that she wanted to rise to the challenge.
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Coping With Loss Of Hospital, Rural Town Realizes: We Donāt Need A Hospital
Itās been about a year since the hospital in Fort Scott, Kan., closed. The lessons for this community about meeting its residentsā health needs could provide insights for the rest of the country.
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A Veteran Started Vaping THC To Cope With Chronic Pain. Then He Got Very Sick.
A Navy veteran from Cleveland tried vaping marijuana to deal with his chronic pain. He landed in the hospital, becoming one of over 2,400 Americans who have suffered serious lung injury from vaping.
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Battling The Bullets From The Operating Room To The Community
St. Louis trauma surgeon Dr. Laurie Punch is on a mission to stop the bleeding of her patients and the violence-plagued communities around her. But the single mom worries she and her 7-year-old will have to move from their home, where bullets buzz in her backyard.
By Laura Ungar -
When Teens Abuse Parents, Shame And Secrecy Make It Hard To Seek Help
Most domestic assault offenders are adults, but about 1 in 12 who come to the attention of law enforcement are minors, according to a 2008 study by the U.S. Justice Department. In half of those cases, the victim was a parent, most often the mother.
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For Artist Inspired By Illness, āGratitude Outweighs Painā
After surviving two double lung transplants, Dylan Mortimer, a Kansas City artist, turns his battle with cystic fibrosis into joyous, whimsical art. Now Mortimer buys glitter by the pound and uses it to create mixed-media collages and sculptures for hospitals, private collectors and public spaces.
By Cara Anthony -
Not Yesterdayās Cocaine: Death Toll Rising From Tainted Drug
While the U.S. continues to focus mainly on the opioid crisis, cocaine is quietly making a comeback and has become one of the biggest overdose killers of African Americans when tainted with fentanyl.
By Laura Ungar -
Drug Deals And Food Gone Bad Plague Corner Stores. How Neighbors Are Fighting Back.
Corner stores that provide groceries for those using the federal food stamp program have become magnets for violence just outside St. Louis. Gunshots ring out under the cover of darkness, windows are postered over, and the quality of food doesnāt make a trip to the corner store worth the risk. Now local residents are putting their feet down.
By Cara Anthony -
Listen: Neighbors Take On Corner Stores Plagued By Violence, Spoiled Food
KHN Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony appeared on Americaās Heroes Group radio show, Illinois Public Mediaās āThe 21stā and St. Louis Public Radioās news magazine āSt. Louis on the Airā to discuss how people in low-income neighborhoods are fighting back against crime and spoiled food at their local corner stores.
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Listen: How A Wisconsin Senator Is Trying to Prevent A Vape Flavor Ban
KHN Correspondent Lauren Weber joined Wisconsin Public Radioās news magazine āCentral Timeā to discuss Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnsonās role in the politics of vaping.
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Listen: How Skimpy Insurance Led To A $21,634 Hospital Bill
KHN editor and correspondent Laura Ungar appeared on Illinois Public Mediaās āThe 21stā to discuss her reporting for the latest KHN-NPR Bill of the Month installment.
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Record Number Of Legionnaires’ Cases In 2018 Risk Lives, Cause Cleanup Headaches
Legionnairesā disease cases hit an all-time high in 2018, with eight times more cases than 20 years ago. Even though many facilities in Missouri and elsewhere have water management plans in place to deal with the potentially deadly disease, they are still finding the underlying bacteria that causes it in their water.
By Lauren Weber