Kate Wells, Michigan Public

Even Where Abortion Is Still Legal, Many Brick-and-Mortar Clinics Are Closing

KFF Health News Original

Some clinics that provide abortions are closing, even in states where voters have passed some of the nation’s broadest abortion protections. It’s happening in places like New York, Illinois, and Michigan, as reproductive health care faces new financial pressures.

On the Front Lines Against Bird Flu, Egg Farmers Say They’re Losing the Battle

KFF Health News Original

Tools used to contain previous bird flu outbreaks aren’t working this time, experts say. The virus has sickened at least 67 people in the U.S. and killed one, with egg producers begging for a new approach. “I call this virus a terrorist,” said one egg farmer, who lost 6.5 million birds to H5N1 in two weeks.

En la primera línea contra la gripe aviar, productores de huevos dicen que están perdiendo la batalla

KFF Health News Original

Controlar este virus se ha vuelto más difícil, precisamente porque está tan arraigado en el entorno global, contagiando a mamíferos como vacas lecheras y afectando a unos 150 millones de aves en gallineros comerciales y domésticos en Estados Unidos.

After Congress Ended Extra Cash Aid for Families, Communities Tackle Child Poverty Alone

KFF Health News Original

The child tax credit passed by Congress at the height of covid has expired, but states and localities are trying to fill the gap with their own programs and funding. In Michigan, Rx Kids already covers every family with a new baby in Flint. Now, other communities aim to follow.

Before Michigan Legalized Surrogacy, Families Found Ways Around the Ban

KFF Health News Original

Until this spring, Michigan was the only state that had a broad criminal ban on surrogacy. Many families say that left them in limbo: forcing them to leave the state to have children, finding strangers on Facebook who would carry their child, or going through the legal hassle of having to adopt their biological children.

Experts: US Hospitals Prone to Cyberattacks Like One That Hurt Patient Care at Ascension

KFF Health News Original

Clinicians working for Ascension hospitals in multiple states described harrowing lapses, including delayed or lost lab results, medication errors, and an absence of routine safety checks to prevent potentially fatal mistakes.

He Thinks His Wife Died in an Understaffed Hospital. Now He’s Trying to Change the Industry.

KFF Health News Original

Nurses are telling lawmakers that there are not enough of them working in hospitals and that it risks patients’ lives. California and Oregon legally limit the number of patients under a nurse’s care. Other states trying to do the same were blocked by the hospital industry. Now patients’ relatives are joining the fight.

What Does a Chatbot Know About Eating Disorders? Users of a Help Line Are About to Find Out

KFF Health News Original

The National Eating Disorders Association’s help line has seen demand climb to unsustainable levels since the beginning of the covid pandemic, with more people reporting severe mental health problems, the nonprofit says. But staffers worry this chatbot may make things worse.

Listen: With Abortion Rights on the Ballot in Michigan, Women Tell Their Stories

KFF Health News Original

Women who need abortion care come to Michigan from surrounding states that already have banned the procedure. A clinic in suburban Detroit allowed a reporter to interview patients, doctors, and nurses to understand what is at stake as voters decide whether to guarantee abortion access in the Michigan Constitution.

Family Caregivers Find Support on #dementia TikTok

KFF Health News Original

The TikTok hashtag “dementia” has billions of views. Caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias have been using the site to swap tips and share the burdens of life with dementia.

In Some States, Voters Will Get to Decide the Future of Abortion Rights

KFF Health News Original

Measures to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution will be on the ballot in California and Vermont this fall. Abortion-rights advocates in Michigan are hoping their state will follow suit.

1931 State Law Makes Abortion a Felony if ‘Roe’ Falls, Warns Michigan Attorney General

KFF Health News Original

Dana Nessel, the Democratic attorney general of Michigan, said she would not have the authority to keep county prosecutors from enforcing the old law. Nessel also discussed the “selective reduction” abortion she had when pregnant with triplets.

ERs Are Swamped With Seriously Ill Patients, Although Many Don’t Have Covid

KFF Health News Original

Certain patients who couldn’t get in to see a doctor earlier in the pandemic, or were avoiding the covid risks inside hospitals, have become too sick to stay away. Many ERs now struggle to cope with an onslaught of demand.