Changing Clocks Is Bad For Your Health, But Which Time To Choose?
State legislatures are considering new bills proposing a permanent time standard instead of the spring-forward and fall-back clock changes. Most people want to stop adjusting clocks, but scientists and politicians are at odds over which time is better for society and our health.
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.
No Quick Fix: Missouri Finds Managing Pain Without Opioids Isn’t Fast Or Easy
In the first nine months of an alternative pain management program in Missouri, only a small fraction of the state’s Medicaid recipients have accessed the chiropractic care, acupuncture, physical therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy meant to combat the overprescription of opioids.
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 state’s 92 counties have them, after a series of closures and reopenings.
Patients Stuck With Bills After Insurers Don’t 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 doesn’t guarantee they’ll end up paying. Some patients are getting stuck with unexpected bills after the medical service has been provided.
Listen: How Vaping Regulations Are Playing Out In The States
KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber joined Wisconsin Public Radio’s Rob Ferrett on “Central Time” to discuss the latest on vaping bans and what they mean for vaping trends among youth.
Coping With Loss Of Hospital, Rural Town Realizes: We Don’t Need A Hospital
It’s been about a year since the hospital in Fort Scott, Kan., closed. The lessons for this community about meeting its residents’ health needs could provide insights for the rest of the country.
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.
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.
For Artist Inspired By Illness, ‘Gratitude Outweighs Pain’
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.
Not Yesterday’s 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.
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 doesn’t make a trip to the corner store worth the risk. Now local residents are putting their feet down.
Listen: Neighbors Take On Corner Stores Plagued By Violence, Spoiled Food
KHN Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony appeared on America’s Heroes Group radio show, Illinois Public Media’s “The 21st” and St. Louis Public Radio’s news magazine “St. Louis on the Air” to discuss how people in low-income neighborhoods are fighting back against crime and spoiled food at their local corner stores.
Listen: How A Wisconsin Senator Is Trying to Prevent A Vape Flavor Ban
KHN Correspondent Lauren Weber joined Wisconsin Public Radio’s news magazine “Central Time” to discuss Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson’s role in the politics of vaping.
Listen: How Skimpy Insurance Led To A $21,634 Hospital Bill
KHN editor and correspondent Laura Ungar appeared on Illinois Public Media’s “The 21st” to discuss her reporting for the latest KHN-NPR Bill of the Month installment.
Record Number Of Legionnaires’ Cases In 2018 Risk Lives, Cause Cleanup Headaches
Legionnaires’ 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.
Obamacare’s Star Ratings Offer A Glimmer Of Insight ― But Not For All
Federal officials unveil new ratings for the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace plans. Missouri is one of eight states that has no plans earning at least three stars on a five-star scale.
They Enrolled In Medical School To Practice Rural Medicine. What Happened?
Eight years ago, a new medical program opened in Salina, Kan., as an experimental way to promote rural medicine. Hailed as a solution to the rural doctor shortage, only three of its eight newly minted doctors are now working in the most rural communities.
The Deep Divide: State Borders Create Medicaid Haves And Have-Nots
State borders can highlight Medicaid’s arbitrary coverage. On the Missouri side of the Mississippi River, low-income people struggle with untreated health issues. But on the Illinois side, people in similar straits can get health care because their state expanded its Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act.
Meet The Health Officials Who Alerted The World To The Alarming Vaping Illness
Without the teamwork, communication and quick action of several veteran health officials in Wisconsin, the world might not know about the vaping illness the U.S. is battling today. This is their story.
