Latest KFF Health News Stories
A Desperate Scramble As COVID-19 Families Vie For Access To Plasma Therapy
As efforts ramp up to collect blood plasma from the first survivors of COVID-19, families of critically ill patients are jockeying to obtain the still-unproven antibody treatment.
California Nurse Thrived In ER and ICU, But Couldn’t Survive COVID-19
Jeff Baumbach, 57, was a seasoned nurse of 28 years when the novel coronavirus began to circulate in California. He’d worked in the ER, the ICU and on a cardiac floor. Hepatitis and tuberculosis had been around over the years but never posed a major concern.
Pediatric Practices Struggle To Adapt And Survive Amid COVID-19
Across the U.S., pediatric practices that provide front-line care for the nation’s children are struggling to adjust to crashing revenues, terrified parents and a shortage of protective equipment — and all while being asked to care for young patients who could well be vectors for transmission without showing symptoms.
How Do We Exit The Shutdown? Hire An Army Of Public Health Workers
The pandemic has exposed massive cracks in the foundations of the U.S. public health system. Getting the country back to normal, experts say, will require a major investment in Public Health 101: training a corps of workers who can track people with the virus and prevent them from passing it to others.
Battling A Pandemic Across 4,750 Square Miles And 10 Million People
Los Angeles County’s health leader describes the struggle for data and resources in the coronavirus fight.
¿Cómo salir del aislamiento? Contratando una legión de trabajadores de salud pública
Autoridades en todo el país están tratando de descubrir cómo reanudar algo similar a la vida normal sin desencadenar una ola catastrófica de enfermedad y muerte.
Newsom’s Ambitious Health Care Agenda Crumbles In A ‘Radically Changed’ World
California Gov. Gavin Newsom charged into 2020 with ambitious — and expensive — proposals to increase health insurance coverage, reduce homelessness and tackle drug prices. Then came COVID-19.
Postal de la crisis: vendedores ambulantes de Los Angeles no pueden dejar de trabajar
A diferencia de la mayoría de los estadounidenses, que pronto recibirán cheques de estímulo, miles de trabajadores luchan en estos días por comer, pagar la renta y enviar dinero a sus familias.
Postcard From The Edge: L.A. Street Vendors Who Can’t Stop Working
Foot traffic in L.A. has fallen off a cliff amid the COVID-19 crisis, driving many street vendors away. But some are still on the streets, peddling their wares out of economic necessity. Many are undocumented immigrants who won’t get any help from the recently approved $2 trillion federal assistance package.
Nursing Homes Have Thousands Of Ventilators That Hospitals Desperately Need
The prospect raises a grim dilemma: Should doctors take people off life support in order to save COVID-19 patients who might recover?
Young People Weigh Pain Of Job Loss Against Risks Of Virus
Young adults are being hit hard in the COVID-19 economy, but many have mixed feelings about losing jobs that might otherwise put them in harm’s way in the midst of the pandemic.
Medicaid en el “ojo de la tormenta” por nuevos desempleados que buscan cobertura
Hay más de 6.6 millones que han perdido sus empleos a causa de la crisis económica que ha generado la pandemia. Muchos de estos nuevos desempleados pueden recurrir a Medicaid para sus familias.
Medicaid Nearing ‘Eye Of The Storm’ As Newly Unemployed Look For Coverage
The coronavirus outbreak has forced millions out of work and the federal-state health program for low-income people could face unprecedented strains as many states don’t necessarily have the resources or systems in place to meet the demand.
California Hospitals Face Surge With Proven Fixes And Some Hail Marys
California is entering the most critical period in its battle against COVID-19, and may need thousands of hospital beds and ventilators to accommodate a surge of critically ill patients. Hospitals are taking extreme measures, such as using 3D printers to make ventilator parts and turning cafeterias into wards.
“Esenciales” o no, estos trabajadores siguen en sus puestos
Entre las personas que siguen trabajando, sin el lujo de poder hacerlo desde casa, hay un alto porcentaje de trabajadores con salarios bajos, que ganan un promedio de $10,22 por hora.
California y COVID-19: hospitales se alistan para la crisis con acciones probadas y desesperadas
A medida que California ingresa al período más crítico contra COVID-19, los 416 hospitales, grandes y pequeños, públicos y privados, se esfuerzan por tener la capacidad necesaria para una avalancha de pacientes críticos.
‘Essential’ Or Not, These Workers Report For Duty
In Los Angeles County and beyond, people continue to toil through the coronavirus pandemic, often in positions that put them in constant contact with the public. Many are low-wage workers who can’t afford to stop working.
California’s New Attack On Opioid Addiction Hits Old Roadblocks
State officials in California have achieved some success in promoting the use of medication-assisted treatment for people with opioid addictions, but they are bumping up against familiar resistance and constraints.
The Nation’s 5,000 Outpatient Surgery Centers Could Help With The COVID-19 Overflow
A coalition of anesthesiologists wants to repurpose the country’s more than 5,000 surgery centers to serve as emergency overflow amid the coronavirus pandemic. The centers have trained medical staff largely sitting idle, anesthesia machines that could be turned into ventilators, and empty medical space. But obstacles such as federal payment rules, logistics and some skepticism are getting in the way.
Listen: How Hospitals Are Preparing For Surge In COVID-19 Patients
With coronavirus cases growing at a faster rate than anticipated, hospitals are scrambling to boost medical supplies and beds.
