Category: Public Health

Liver Illness Strikes Latino Children Like A ‘Silent Tsunami’

Potentially deadly fatty liver disease, linked to overconsumption of sugar in drinks and food, often starts in childhood. The goal: Get children to change their habits.

As Syphilis Invades Rural America, A Fraying Health Safety Net Is Failing To Stop It

Syphilis is spreading from big cities into rural counties across the Midwest and West. One Missouri clinic has seen more than six times as many cases in the first few months of 2019 compared with the same period last year. Communities grappling with budget cuts and crumbling public health infrastructure also lack experience in fighting the disease.

Workplace Wellness Programs Barely Move The Needle, Study Finds

New research published in JAMA detected some changes in healthy behavior like weight and stress, but little overall impact in workers’ health status or employer health care spending.

Watchdogs Cite Lax Medical And Mental Health Treatment Of ICE Detainees

It’s Saturday morning and the women of the Contreras family are busy in Montclair, Calif., making pupusas, tamales and tacos. They’re working to replace the income of José Contreras, who has been held since last June at Southern California’s Adelanto ICE Processing Center, a privately run immigration detention center. José’s daughter, Giselle, drives around in […]

Heavy Rains, End Of Drought Could Help Keep West Nile Virus Subdued — For Now

Scientists say drought can spur transmission of the disease and that wetter winters since 2015 have helped reduce the number of infections in California. In the long term, however, climate change could mean more drought — and more infections.

Economic Ripples: Hospital Closure Hurts A Town’s Ability To Attract Retirees

Celina, Tenn., has long lured retirees, with its scenic hills and affordability. These newcomers help fuel the local economy. But a recent hospital closure makes the town a harder sell.

Big Soda Pours Big Bucks Into California’s Capitol

The soda industry spent $11.8 million to influence policy statewide in 2017 and 2018. As politicians once again consider bills that would tax and label sugary drinks, more big money is expected to flow.

Mourning Paradise: Collective Trauma In A Town Destroyed

The depth of psychological damage after the fire in Paradise, Calif., may depend on how much help residents are getting now.

Exemptions Surge As Parents And Doctors Do ‘Hail Mary’ Around Vaccine Laws

In California, medical exemptions to skip childhood vaccinations are on the rise. The trend underlines how hard it is to get parents to comply with vaccination laws meant to protect public safety when a small but adamant population of families and physicians seems determined to resist.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health’ The GOP’s Health Reform Whiplash

Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss the latest “will they or won’t they?” when it comes to Republicans and comprehensive health reform. Also, a wrap-up of the latest abortion fights in the states and on Capitol Hill. And, another court setback for the Trump administration’s efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN’s Paula Andalo about the latest “Bill of the Month” feature.