AJ Mast
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If a judge decides someone is not able to make their own decisions, the person can be placed under a court-appointed guardianship, which is also known as a conservatorship. Some states allow less-restrictive alternatives, but it’s unclear how widely they’re used.
Sebastián Martínez Valdivia
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Side Effects Public Media
Bruce A. Taylor/NH State Police Forensic Lab
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National Institute of Standards and Technology
It's been a year since the COVID crisis began to dominate our lives. To mark that milestone, Side Effects is producing a series of non-narrated features in March that reflect on COVID's impact.
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Iowa's nursing home staff COVID-19 vaccination rates have improved but still lag behind the nationalAn analysis of nursing home staff vaccination rates by AARP using federal numbers found Iowa's rates have improved, but they still lag behind national rates. -
They have shouldered an outsize share of COVID-19's burden, statistics show. Many lost family members; others got sick themselves, recovered and carried on. Meet the caregivers.
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People with higher education levels tend to live longer, healthier lives. But some African American kids in low-income communities are faced with many barriers that keep them from receiving the education they need. One man in a majority black neighborhood in Indianapolis hopes football can help keep kids in school and out of trouble.
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Typically an ambulance arrives to find a person in mid-crisis and requiring immediate care. But a new approach — called community paramedicine — aims to prevent emergencies in the first place.
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The number of individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 remains high across the country — and the Midwest. With the delta variant dominating cases, patients now are younger, sicker and often require more intensive care, hospitals like Methodist in Des Moines are facing pressure.
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With roughly a third of the vaccine-eligible population in the U.S. still not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, public health officials have been calling on trusted community voices to address hesitancy, mistrust and misinformation about the coronavirus vaccine. Keith Thomas has taken that message to heart.
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Should you get a COVID-19 booster shot? Who's eligible? When should you get the extra dose? We talked to an expert to get answers.
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Indiana National Guard members are assisting three hospitals as increased COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths stretch the capacity of overworked and understaffed hospitals even thinner. It’s part of an effort to help hospitals provide care and prevent further pandemic related restrictions.
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Tarkington Park has been the go-to destination for the Black community in Indianapolis for years, but the neighborhood where the park is located is at the intersection of stark racial, health and socioeconomic disparities.
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Many K-12 school districts are tapping federal funds to pay for regular surveillance testing of students. It's an effective pandemic tactic when used alongside mask-wearing and other precautions.
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The U.S. has secured more doses than the country’s COVID-19 vaccine needs. But around the world, millions of people have no access to vaccines in their home countries. And that makes some people travel thousands of miles to get a shot here in the U.S. — if they can afford it.
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Deferred doctors visits during the pandemic have left kids across the country behind on routine inoculations.
Incarcerated people are some of the sickest people in our country. Many have chronic conditions such as diabetes or lung disease. And they’re far more likely to suffer from mental illness and addiction. On Season 2 of Sick, listen to stories of what goes wrong in corrections facilities — places meant to keep people healthy, but built to punish them.
Our journalism starts with you. What questions and concerns do you have about health care? Join our text group and let us know.
The COVID pandemic has exposed deep flaws in the way America handles children’s mental health. More and more children are facing anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. But there’s a shortage of providers and services — and no quick way to increase them. As a result, many children and families are scrambling for help.
The new coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, have changed our lives in countless ways. Side Effects will explain the important medical issues, as well as their impact on the Midwest.
Side Effects examines the health care challenges that refugees and immigrants face in the U.S.
Front-line workers on the COVID-19 crisis
Stories examining the effect of COVID-19 on rural health care.
Stories highlighting what climate change means for Great Lakes cities.