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Latest KFF Health News Stories

Las muertes ocultas de la pandemia de COVID

KFF Health News Original

Mientras funcionarios tratan de sumar cuántas personas dan positivo para el coronavirus y cuántas mueren por COVID, la pandemia ha dejado un número incalculable de muertes en las sombras.

Is A Second Wave Of Coronavirus Coming?

KFF Health News Original

Some experts say the United States is arguably still in the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic and history tells us that the 1918 influenza pandemic came in at least three waves. But that’s not necessarily a template for how the coronavirus pandemic will play out, because the coronavirus doesn’t have the same degree of seasonality that influenza does.

The Hidden Deaths Of The COVID Pandemic

KFF Health News Original

Counting deaths caused by the coronavirus pandemic is easier said than done. Without widespread testing, officials must sort through presumed COVID deaths and those who died with infections rather than from them. Then there are the indirect deaths of people who died from circumstances created by the pandemic.

Fractured Skulls, Lost Eyes: Police Often Break Own Rules Using ‘Rubber Bullets’

KFF Health News Original

Around the country, police responded to protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death by shooting “less lethal” projectiles, which can seriously hurt and kill. In a joint investigation, KHN and USA TODAY found some officers appear to have violated their department’s own rules when they fired.

Injured And Uninsured, Protesters Get Medical Aid From LA Doctor

KFF Health News Original

A Los Angeles ophthalmologist’s offer on Instagram has ballooned into a loose network of physicians providing medical care to protesters who were injured while rallying against police brutality and racism. While clashes with the police have died down in some parts of the country, some protesters are seeking care for festering wounds from days-old injuries.

‘Just Make It Home’: The Unwritten Rules Blacks Learn To Navigate Racism In America

KFF Health News Original

Darnell Hill, a mental health caseworker, is teaching black teens in St. Louis how to safely walk through the park, run to the store or handle an encounter with the police. Beyond tangible skills, he offers comfort and a semblance of control to those for whom birding, running or walking down the street hold the risk of racial violence.

California Hits Up Libraries and Tax Offices To Recruit 20,000 New Disease Detectives

KFF Health News Original

As California begins one of the largest contact-tracing training programs in the country, many of the new recruits will be librarians: who are known to be curious, tech-savvy and really good at getting people they barely know to open up.

Citing COVID, Sutter Pushes To Revisit Landmark Antitrust Settlement

KFF Health News Original

Six months after agreeing to a $575 million settlement in a landmark antitrust case, Sutter Health has yet to pay a single dollar and now says the terms may be untenable, given the strain caused by the pandemic.

Pandemic Upends The Lives Of People With Disabilities — And Of Their Caregivers

KFF Health News Original

Wisconsin already faced a shortage of caregivers who offer crucial health services and independence to their clients. Then the pandemic struck. In a survey of nearly 500 Wisconsinites with disabilities and older adults, every respondent said the pandemic had disrupted their caregiving service.

Wealthy Hospital Taps Craft Breweries For Aid To Buy Masks, Gloves

KFF Health News Original

Although the federal government has poured billions of dollars into hospitals to defray their losses from the coronavirus outbreak, new streams of fundraising have emerged — including health worker-themed beer that adds “a drop in the bucket.”

At A Time Of Great Need, Public Health Lacks ‘Lobbying Muscle’

KFF Health News Original

Public health officials are asking for more money in California’s state budget. But unlike some rich and powerful health care interests, they don’t have an army of lobbyists to curry favor with lawmakers.

White House Left States On Their Own To Buy Ventilators. Inside Their Mad Scramble.

KFF Health News Original

Although laws prohibit price gouging on precious resources in times of emergency, states have been forced to compete for a share of the nation’s stockpile of ventilators — used to treat the sickest COVID patients — or pay top dollar on sideline deals. With quality and quantity control lacking, what happens when the pandemic’s second wave hits?