Latest KFF Health News Stories
Tribe Embraces Recreational Marijuana Sales on Reservation Where Alcohol Is Banned
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota allows people to buy and use recreational marijuana but not alcohol. Some tribal citizens say cannabis is safer than alcohol, meth, and opioids — which have wreaked havoc on the state’s Indigenous communities.
Skin Cancer Is a Risk No Matter the Skin Tone. But It May Be Overlooked in People With Dark Skin.
Black people and those with high levels of melanin in their skin have long been left out of efforts to combat skin cancer. Historically neglected both by sunscreen manufacturers and a medical community lagging in diversity and cultural competency, many people with dark skin tones have not been informed about sun safety or how to monitor their skin for damage or cancer.
‘American Diagnosis’: Two Indigenous Students Share Their Path to Medicine
A lack of Native physicians means many tribal communities rely on doctors who don’t share their lived experience, culture, or spiritual beliefs. In Episode 9, meet two medical students working to join the ranks of Indigenous physicians.
‘An Arm and a Leg’: One ER Doctor Grapples With the Inequities of American Health Care
This episode is an interview with Dr. Thomas Fisher, author of “The Emergency: A Year of Healing and Heartbreak in a Chicago ER.”
El calor extremo puede causar calambres, agotamiento por calor e insolación. El calor extremo contribuyó a la muerte de unas 12,000 personas en Estados Unidos cada año entre 2010 y 2020, según un estudio de la Universidad de Washington. Es probable que esas cifras aumenten.
LA’s First Heat Officer Says Helping Vulnerable Communities Is Key to Achieving Climate Goals
Los Angeles taps Marta Segura, director of the city’s climate emergency mobilization office, as its first heat officer. Segura, the first Hispanic person to hold such a position in the country, will work across city departments on an early warning system while developing cooling strategies.
Tribu entrena perros para detectar enfermedades y contaminantes
El proyecto pretende proteger la salud de los miembros de la tribu haciéndoles saber dónde se ha detectado la enfermedad y dónde se han encontrado residuos tóxicos, y preservar así espacios seguros para la realización de prácticas tradicionales.
Montana’s Blackfeet Tribe to Use Dogs to Sniff Out Disease and Contaminants
The Blackfeet Nation is experimenting with a new way to detect chronic wasting disease in animals used by tribal members for food and cultural practices.
‘American Diagnosis’: Indigenous Advocates Work for Better Reproductive Care
From forced sterilizations in the 1960s to scant access to abortion care today, barriers to health care threaten Native people’s reproductive autonomy. Episode 7 explores efforts to protect and expand Native Americans’ access to comprehensive reproductive and sexual health care.
Pesa el legado de Trump, mientras Colorado busca zanjar la brecha del seguro de salud hispano
A nivel nacional y en Colorado, la proporción de personas sin seguro médico ha sido durante mucho tiempo significativamente más alta entre los hispanos que entre los residentes blancos, negros o asiáticos no hispanos.
Trump’s Legacy Looms Large as Colorado Aims to Close the Hispanic Insurance Gap
Hispanic residents have long been among the least likely to have health insurance — in Colorado and across the country — in part because of unauthorized immigrants. The state is expanding coverage to some of them, although the change runs up against lingering fears about the use of public benefits.
Tribes Show Little Interest in Offering Abortions on Reservations Despite Speculation They Could
The notion that Native American nations could use tribal sovereignty to bypass state restrictions on abortion if Roe v. Wade falls is an idea largely proposed by non-Native groups.
Race Is Often Used as Medical Shorthand for How Bodies Work. Some Doctors Want to Change That.
Physicians have long believed it’s good medicine to consider race in health care. But recently, rather than perpetuate the myth that race governs how bodies function, a more nuanced approach has emerged: acknowledging that racial health disparities often reflect the effects of generations of systemic racism, such as lack of access to stable housing or nutritious food.
Grupos de base lideran el camino para cerrar la brecha de mortalidad infantil en Colorado
Aunque Colorado se encuentra entre los estados más saludables del país, las disparidades en salud entre distintos grupos raciales y étnicos son visibles. Y un indicador clave es la mortalidad infantil.
Grassroots Groups Lead Way on Closing Colorado’s Infant Mortality Gap
Colorado is among about 15 states that have met federal goals to reduce infant mortality, an important indicator of overall population health. Breaking down the data by race and ethnicity, though, makes clear that major gaps remain.
Peligran transplantes para niña estadounidense de 11 años por burocracia migratoria
En un caso que refleja las fallas significativas y a menudo desgarradoras del sistema, los Espinosa se enfrentan no solo al complicado y costoso laberinto de la atención médica de la nación, sino también a un sistema de inmigración que el Congreso no ha reformado durante décadas.
Immigration Bureaucracy Threatens 11-Year-Old’s Spot on Transplant Lists
Julia Espinosa is a U.S. citizen who needs high-tech care and three transplants. But if the federal government won’t let her father work here, she could lose her insurance.
Addressing the ‘Trust Factor’: South Carolina Researchers Tackle Health Disparities Using Genetics
A new genetic research project underway in South Carolina aims to reduce health disparities between Black and white residents — such as cancer and cardiovascular disease rates — that have long ranked among the nation’s worst. But researchers face the challenge of recruiting 100,000 participants who reflect the diversity of South Carolina. And history isn’t on their side.
Watch: UVA Doctor Talks About the State of the Pandemic and Health Equity
KHN checks back in with Dr. Taison Bell to pinpoint changes in health care equity since the rollout of the covid-19 vaccines.
The Blackfeet Nation’s Plight Underscores the Fentanyl Crisis on Reservations
The deadly synthetic opioid has spread across the nation during the pandemic, and the problem is disproportionately affecting Native Americans.
