As Water Levels Drop, the Risk of Arsenic Rises

KFF Health News Original

As the West grapples with a megadrought, its driest spell in at least 1,200 years, rising levels of arsenic — a known carcinogen — in Colorado’s San Luis Valley offer clues to what the future may hold.

A medida que bajan los niveles de agua, suben los de arsénico

KFF Health News Original

A medida que el oeste lucha contra una mega sequía que ha durado más de dos décadas y los estados corren el riesgo de recortes en el agua del menguante río Colorado, el Valle de San Luis ofrece pistas sobre lo que el futuro puede deparar.

Small, Rural Communities Have Become Abortion Access Battlegrounds

KFF Health News Original

After local leaders in rural Nevada reached an impasse over a proposed Planned Parenthood clinic, an anti-abortion activist pitching local abortion bans across the U.S. arrived at their remote City Hall.

Pequeñas comunidades rurales se han convertido en campos de batalla por el acceso al aborto

KFF Health News Original

La búsqueda por promulgar prohibiciones locales se ha vuelto particularmente crítica en pueblos pequeños, situados en las fronteras entre estados que han restringido el aborto y estados donde las leyes preservan el acceso.

A Striking Gap Between Deaths of Black and White Babies Plagues the South

KFF Health News Original

Infant mortality rates across the South are by far the worst in the U.S. A look at South Carolina — where multimillion-dollar programs aimed at improving rates over the past 10 years have failed to move the needle — drives home the challenge of finding solutions, especially in rural communities.

Thousands Face Medicaid Whiplash in South Dakota and North Carolina

KFF Health News Original

Thousands of South Dakotans are being knocked off Medicaid, only to be eligible to requalify several months later. Even more enrollees are likely to experience a temporary loss of coverage in North Carolina.

A Rural County’s Choice: Use Opioid Funds to Pay Off Debt, or Pay Them Forward to Curb Crisis

KFF Health News Original

Greene County, Tennessee, so far has received more than $2.7 million from regional and national settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors. But most of the money is not going to help people and families harmed by addiction.

New Mexico Program to Reduce Maternity Care Deserts in Rural Areas Fights for Survival

KFF Health News Original

A federally funded program in remote New Mexico has helped hundreds of pregnant mothers stay healthy, but it’s running out of time and money despite a growing national maternity care crisis. The four-year, nearly $3 million grant has provided telehealth, coordinated care, and social services to mothers in need.

Students in Rural Colorado Are Left Without Options as Specialized Schools Close

KFF Health News Original

A new state law aims to keep the doors open at schools that accept students with intensive needs. One preteen in rural Colorado shows how the current system leaves some students bouncing between institutions far from home.

In Idaho, Taking a Minor Out of State for an Abortion Is Now a Crime: ‘Abortion Trafficking’

KFF Health News Original

Under the nation’s first law of its kind, teens must have parental consent to travel for medical care, including in cases of sexual assault or rape. Any adult, including an aunt, grandparent, or sibling, convicted of violating the criminal statute faces up to five years in prison — and could be sued for financial damages.

After Idaho’s Strict Abortion Ban, OB-GYNs Stage a Quick Exodus

KFF Health News Original

At least two Idaho hospitals are ending labor and delivery services, with one citing the state’s “legal and political climate” and noting that “recruiting replacements will be extraordinarily difficult” as doctors leave.

How a 2019 Florida Law Catalyzed a Hospital-Building Boom

KFF Health News Original

In Wesley Chapel, Fla., near Tampa, residents will soon have three general hospitals within a five-minute drive. The new construction is part of a hospital-building boom across Florida unleashed almost four years ago, when the state dropped a requirement that companies obtain government approval to open new hospitals.

Programa forma médicos multiculturales, pero no siempre ejercen en áreas vulnerables

KFF Health News Original

Investigadores han descubierto que el programa ha logrado diversificar la inscripción, pero no hay suficiente seguimiento a largo plazo para saber si estos graduados ejercen en las regiones donde más se necesitan.