KFF Health News On NPR

‘Where The Need Is:’ Tackling Teen Pregnancy With A Midwife At School

While U.S. teen pregnancy rates overall have trended steadily downward in the past decade, they remain high in some communities, particularly for black and Latina teens. In one part of Washington, D.C., a high school midwife program is a novel approach that’s showing promise in tackling the problem.

Male OB-GYNs Are Growing Rare. Is That A Problem?

Nationally, women outnumber men as specialists in obstetrics and gynecology — yet women remain underrepresented in leadership roles. Many OB-GYN patients say they prefer female doctors, as residency programs strive for diversity in race, ethnicity and even gender.

In A Puerto Rican Mountain Town, Hope Ebbs And Health Suffers

More than six months after Hurricane Maria, daily life in Castañer, Puerto Rico, is nowhere close to normal as residents try to deal with the effects of trauma, chronic stress and the continued lack of electricity.

Drug Test Spurs Frank Talk Between Hypertension Patients And Doctors

Roughly half of patients don’t take their high blood pressure medicine as they should, even though heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Now, a drug test can flag whether a patient is taking the prescribed medication and is meant to spark a more truthful conversation between patient and doctor.