Anna Almendrala

Anna Almendrala was a correspondent for KFF Health News until August 2021.

@annaalmendrala

Orange County Struggles With Health Equity — And Battles State Restrictions

KFF Health News Original

Disneyland can’t reopen until Orange County’s coronavirus infection rates improve — especially among its poorest and most vulnerable residents. Local officials are protesting the requirements, saying the economy will suffer, and residents’ health along with it.

Travel on Thanksgiving? Pass the COVID

KFF Health News Original

Staying home in your bubble is the safest advice, but family get-togethers, especially at the holidays, mean an awful lot. Even Dr. Anthony Fauci has gone back and forth on whether to have his daughters fly in for Thanksgiving.

COVID Crackdowns at Work Have Saved Black and Latino Lives, LA Officials Say

KFF Health News Original

Strict enforcement of coronavirus protocols at factories and shops where some of the worst outbreaks have occurred has reduced the racial and ethnic disparities in COVID deaths and illness, say public health officials. They want to expand the effort by creating workplace safety councils.

For Kids With Special Needs, Online Schooling Divides Haves and Have-Nots

KFF Health News Original

Virtual classrooms are aggravating the economic disparities that plague education, with widening divides in access to supplies, workspace and parental guidance. The problem is especially acute for children with learning disabilities.

Lost on the Frontline

KFF Health News Original

“Lost on the Frontline” is an ongoing project by Kaiser Health News and The Guardian that aims to document the lives of health care workers in the U.S. who died from COVID 19, and to investigate why so many are victims of the disease.

With Caveats, Hopeful News for Preschools Planning Young Kids’ Return

KFF Health News Original

Hundreds of thousands of essential workers have kept their kids in day care during the pandemic out of necessity and, so far, these centers haven’t been big disease spreaders. But the evidence remains incomplete.

As Coronavirus Patients Skew Younger, Tracing Task Seems All But Impossible

KFF Health News Original

Although younger people are hospitalized and die less frequently than their elders when infected with COVID-19, their cases are harder to trace. As a result, the virus is spreading uncontrollably throughout much of Southern California. Even hospital staffs are affected by community spread.

‘Please Tell Me My Life Is Worth A LITTLE Of Your Discomfort,’ Nurse Pleads

KFF Health News Original

Health care workers on the front lines of the COVID crisis have spent exhausting months working and self-quarantining off-duty to keep from infecting others, including their families. Encountering people who indignantly refuse face coverings can feel like a slap in the face.

Officials Seek To Shift Resources Away From Policing To Address Black ‘Public Health Crisis’

KFF Health News Original

Local governments around the country are declaring racism a public health crisis. That could be lip service, or it might lead to shifting resources from policing to health care, housing and other services, experts say.

Hiring A Diverse Army To Track COVID-19 Amid Reopening

KFF Health News Original

Experts estimate local and state health departments will have to hire 100,000 to 300,000 people as contact tracers to get the economy back on track. Many states are trying hard to hire from the racial and ethnic minority communities hit hardest by the virus.

Hate Unmasked In America

KFF Health News Original

As a journalist, she wrote during the winter about the hostility shown toward Asian Americans for wearing masks. In May, she got cursed at for not wearing a mask herself.

Racial Status And The Pandemic: A Combustible Mixture

KFF Health News Original

The novel coronavirus is affecting black Americans disproportionately, which some community leaders and public health experts say is not surprising. So why didn’t anyone sound an alarm?