Category: Disparities

Events of 2020 Moved Medical Students to Political Activism

The emergence of an organization for med students motivated by progressive concerns highlights the changing attitudes of some physicians in training.

Montana Sticks to Its Patchwork Covid Vaccine Rollout as Eligibility Expands

Montana’s overstretched counties and tribal governments have developed a mishmash of policies and plans that require ingenuity and mutual support to work. A reporting project by KHN, Montana Free Press and the University of Montana School of Journalism finds the biggest test of that disparate system looms as vaccine eligibility expands. Plus: a county-by-county guide to vaccine availability in Montana.

Beating the Pavement to Vaccinate the Underrepresented — And Protect Everyone

In poor neighborhoods and desert towns, community activists — some unpaid — are signing up hard-to-reach people for vaccination appointments. Experts say these campaigns are key to building the country’s immunological armor against new outbreaks.

How One State’s Public Health Defunding Led to Vaccination Chaos

The underfunding of public health and political backlash destabilized Missouri’s vaccine rollout, creating racial inequity and forcing some residents to drive hours to get shots.

Stop Blaming Tuskegee, Critics Say. It’s Not an ‘Excuse’ for Current Medical Racism.

The Tuskegee syphilis study is often cited as a reason Black Americans might hesitate to take the covid-19 vaccine. But many people say that current racism in health care and lack of access deserve more attention to move more Black Americans toward vaccine protection.

‘Press 1 for English’: Vaccination Sign-Ups Prove Daunting for Speakers of Other Languages

In Virginia, if you called 1-877-VAX-IN-VA to register for a vaccine and wanted help in a language other than English or Spanish, the system might hang up on you.

Without a Pandemic Safety Net, Immigrants Living in US Illegally Fall Through the Cracks

Many undocumented immigrants are essential workers at high risk of exposure to the virus — and the pandemic’s economic crash — with no direct access to federal financial lifelines available to U.S. citizens.

Push Is On for States to Ban Organ Transplant Discrimination

States are passing laws that would prevent people with Down syndrome, autism and other disabilities from being denied transplants solely because of their conditions.

‘Into the Covid ICU’: A New Doctor Bears Witness to the Isolation, Inequities of Pandemic

Dr. Paloma Marin-Nevarez graduated from medical school during the pandemic. We follow the rookie doctor for her first months working at a hospital in Fresno, California, as she grapples with isolation, anti-mask rallies and an overwhelming number of deaths.

With GOP Back at Helm, Montana Renews Push to Sniff Out Welfare Fraud

Montana is one of the latest states looking to aggressively check welfare eligibility to cut costs. Supporters of such steps say it’s about what’s fair — weeding out those who don’t qualify for assistance — while opponents say it will cut loose enrollees who actually need help.