Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio

@flakebarmer

App Attempts to Break Barriers to Bankruptcy for Those in Medical Debt

KFF Health News Original

Medical bills are a leading reason people get stuck in a cycle of debt. Declaring bankruptcy is one lifeline, but attorney and court fees can put it out of reach. The nonprofit Upsolve created an app it calls the “TurboTax of bankruptcy” to help people hit the reset button and rebuild their financial lives.

Black-Owned Hospice Seeks to Bring Greater Ease in Dying to Black Families

KFF Health News Original

National data shows that Black Medicare patients and their families are not making the move to comfort care as often as white patients are. Experts speculate it’s related to spiritual beliefs and widespread mistrust in the medical system due to decades of discrimination.

Why an HBCU Med School Decided to Put CARES Act Money Into Students’ Pockets

KFF Health News Original

More than most schools, the country’s historically Black colleges and universities are funneling stimulus money directly to students, wiping out loans and past-due fees. But one is going a step further with its financial assistance.

As Constituents Clamor for Ivermectin, Republican Politicians Embrace the Cause

KFF Health News Original

Hospitals and doctors are facing more demands for ivermectin as a covid-19 treatment, despite a lack of proof it works. In some Republican-dominated states, pushing for ivermectin interventions has become a conservative rallying cry.

Worn-Out Nurses Hit the Road for Better Pay, Stressing Hospital Budgets — And Morale

KFF Health News Original

Managers are trapped in a pricey hiring cycle, competing for critical care nurses who can monitor covid patients on life support. Some hospitals are looking abroad to replace staffers who quit to become travel nurses or leave the profession.

ICUs Are Filled With Covid — And Regret

KFF Health News Original

Unvaccinated people are filling intensive care beds and dying of covid in record numbers in Tennessee and other Southern states. Many tell their nurses and doctors they regret the decision not to get the vaccine when they could.

ECMO Life Support Is a Last Resort for Covid, and in Short Supply in South

KFF Health News Original

Many more people could benefit from the lifesaving treatment than are receiving it, which has made for messy triaging as the delta variant surges across the South and in rural communities with low covid vaccination rates.

Mientras baja la vacunación contra covid, partes de EE.UU. están lejos de la meta del 70%

KFF Health News Original

El 4 de julio no fue la celebración que esperaba el presidente Joe Biden. La nación no alcanzó el objetivo de la Casa Blanca de dar al menos una primera dosis de la vacuna contra covid al 70% de los adultos para el Día de la Independencia.