Why some hospitals have stopped using race-based calculations for kidney disease
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Why some hospitals have stopped using race-based calculations for kidney disease

INDIANAPOLIS — If it wasn’t for Crystal Moore’s hoodie and car, people probably wouldn’t be able to tell her life is hanging by a thread. Her black Nissan sedan has signs plastered on the windows that read: “Kidney Donor Needed!” The signs include a picture of Moore and a QR code that leads to her…

How one Midwest doctor is preparing for a world without Roe

How one Midwest doctor is preparing for a world without Roe

Dr. Lisa Harris has spent the past few months helping her health system prepare for the possibility that abortion could become illegal in Michigan. When a draft document leaked on May 2 indicated the U.S. Supreme Court might overturn Roe v. Wade, she realized she needed to double down. “I realized, wow, we really need…

If Roe falls, many in the Midwest will have to travel to access abortion

If Roe falls, many in the Midwest will have to travel to access abortion

    Kentucky lawmakers have been hard at work to erode access to abortion in the state — long before the leak of a draft opinion on May 2 indicating the U.S. Supreme Court might overturn Roe v. Wade and remove federal protections for abortion as early as June. In April, the Republican-led legislature overrode…

Sickle cell can be passed on to kids – but many don’t know if they carry the gene
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Sickle cell can be passed on to kids – but many don’t know if they carry the gene

LaChelle Hope’s parents did not know they both carried a genetic mutation that, if inherited, could cause their baby to be born with a serious condition called sickle cell disease. It was only after they had their first-born child — Hope’s older sister — that they found they both carry the trait. Her sister was…

Home health aides are hard to find — and it could get worse
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Home health aides are hard to find — and it could get worse

WEST DES MOINES, Ia. — A lot has changed in Jonathan Miller’s life in the past decade, but one thing that’s remained consistent is his house. The brick two-bedroom ranch-style house in West Des Moines, Iowa, is filled with Jonathan’s art, photos, puzzles and a substantial collection of University of Iowa gear, like a handmade…

How funding cuts for COVID-19 tests and treatments could worsen health disparities

How funding cuts for COVID-19 tests and treatments could worsen health disparities

INDIANAPOLIS — At the start of the pandemic, many wished there was a pill people could swallow to make a COVID-19 infection go away. Two years later, we have not just one, but two of those pills, in addition to other outpatient and inpatient treatments. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s4780019/audio/2022/03/covidfunding-feature-web.mp3 Listen to this story here. The federal government established…

Children of health care workers had a front row seat to the pandemic. It took a toll

Children of health care workers had a front row seat to the pandemic. It took a toll

INDIANAPOLIS — Seven-year-old Phil Will still recognizes where the tape that split his house into two sides was glued to the ground. The kitchen and shelves where his mom stores board games were on one side, and the staircase leading to the basement was on the other side. That tape stayed there for more than…

Two years in: The pandemic through the eyes of a health care worker’s spouse

Two years in: The pandemic through the eyes of a health care worker’s spouse

INDIANAPOLIS — Nicole Oberhelman’s house is small, cozy and brims with character. Every corner tells a story. A painting of the first dance from her wedding is next to the TV. Up until early March, Christmas decorations were still on display. The holiday was extra special this year, because it was the closest to a…

How a rural hospital broke language barriers to provide COVID vaccines to immigrants
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How a rural hospital broke language barriers to provide COVID vaccines to immigrants

SEYMOUR, Ind. — In the days leading up to her hospital’s COVID-19 vaccine clinic, hospital administrator Bethany Daugherty carefully monitored pre-registrations. The numbers were low: only about 30 people signed up to receive their shot. “I thought, ‘Well, 30 is better than zero,’” said Daughtery, the health and wellness education specialist at the Schneck Medical…

Children caught in fight between youth treatment facilities and state agency

Children caught in fight between youth treatment facilities and state agency

INDIANAPOLIS — When Lutherwood Residential Treatment Center is fully staffed, it treats about 80 children and teens with severe emotional and behavioral health needs. But the Indianapolis facility is suffering such a major staffing shortage, and it can only help half that many people. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s4780019/audio/2022/01/youth-residential-treatment-seweb.mp3 Listen to this story here. Lutherwood is just one example…