Cecilia Nowell

Author's posts

Native Americans are hardest hit by syphilis surge

Rates are so bad in Native American communities that public health experts have asked the federal government to declare an emergency. Inadequate prenatal care may be partly to blame.

Rapid Rise in Syphilis Hits Native Americans Hardest

With U.S. syphilis rates climbing to the worst level in seven decades, public health experts and the federal Indian Health Service are scrambling to detect and treat the disease in Native American communities, where babies are infected at a higher rate than in any other demographic.

Rising Malpractice Premiums Price Small Clinics Out of Gender-Affirming Care for Minors

Even in states where laws protect minors’ access to gender-affirming care, malpractice insurance premiums are keeping small and independent clinics from treating patients.

As Transgender ‘Refugees’ Flock to New Mexico, Waitlists Grow

As many states have moved to restrict or ban gender-affirming care for trans people, a few states, including New Mexico, have codified protections. But those laws don’t always mean accessing care is simple or quick, as a surge in new patients in the state collides with limited doctors and clinics.

Doctors Created a Primary Care Clinic as Their Former Hospital Struggled

With the community’s help, former co-workers came together to fill gaps in care left by the loss of doctors and departments at a Gallup, New Mexico, hospital.