Category: COVID-19

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

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.

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

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 Small Craft Breweries For Financial Aid To Buy Masks, Gloves

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.”

Health Experts Link Rise In Arizona COVID Cases To End Of Stay-At-Home Order

Arizona is a coronavirus hot spot, with the average of daily cases more than doubling from two weeks ago.

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

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.

A Teen’s Death From COVID

Andre Guest was just fine one day. The next, he was fighting for his life.

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

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?

If You’ve Lost Your Health Plan In The COVID Crisis, You’ve Got Options

But some of those options, like special enrollment periods, are time-sensitive.

Health Workers Resort To Etsy, Learning Chinese, Shady Deals To Find Safety Gear

The shortages are so dire that nursing homes and other health centers are going to extraordinary lengths for masks, gowns and essential materials.

COVID-19 Batters A Beloved Bay Area Community Health Care Center

Health clinics in isolated African American communities in the San Francisco Bay Area provide crucial services to neglected populations. But like thousands of other community clinics around the nation, their finances have been wrecked by the pandemic shutdown.