Category: NPR

For travel nurses, jobs at home can’t come close to pay they get on the road

The pandemic pay for traveling nurses was too good to pass up for many RNs. But some are ready to settle down at home, and they’re finding full-time jobs aren’t keeping up with salary increases.

Americans are putting life on hold as the COVID wave delays their surgeries

A Rhode Island man in his 80s had planned to spend the winter somewhere warm with his wife. Instead, he’s among the many people waiting for the COVID wave to break so his surgery can be rescheduled.

In rural America, patients are waiting for care — sometimes with deadly consequences

When cancer survivor Katie Ripley got pneumonia, the 25-bed hospital in her small town didn’t have the specialized care she needed. But with omicron surging, there was no ICU bed to transfer her to.

Biden administration to reverse Medicaid changes that Trump had OK’d in some states

Federal officials now say states can no longer charge premiums to low-income residents enrolled in Medicaid and have ruled out work requirements.

You tested positive. The contact tracer never called. Here’s why

Swamped by thousands of calls a day, contact tracing programs have been forced to adapt. Even though they can’t call everyone, experts say it’s too early to give up on this pillar of disease control.

Inside an Oregon hospital, here’s what it takes to provide care through the chaos

Salem Health in Oregon is a major hospital, but the omicron onslaught has strained the staff like never before. Still, they show up. For the patients, and for each other. And some see signs of hope.

Why remdesivir, a highly effective treatment, is a last resort for providers

The antiviral infusion was just revived as an early treatment for COVID patients. But the drug is relatively expensive and hard to administer, relegating it what some are calling “stopgap” status.

For rural hospitals, the surge of COVID patients can have deadly consequences

The omicron surge has clogged up the health care system, from the ICU to the ER. The consequences are huge for smaller hospitals and, in some cases, it has led to irreparable harm.

Canadian officials weigh how they can respond to the truck protests

Huge protests involving trucks and other large vehicles have been disrupting life in Ottawa and other Canadian cities. The protesters are calling for an end to COVID-19 public health mandates.

There’s a critical shortage of nursing home staff

With the omicron variant causing a surge of COVID-19 infections in assisted living facilities, more staff are having to stay at home, making the jobs of those still working a lot harder.