Darian Benson
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Side Effects Public Media
The infant formula shortage has led some parents to consider informal milk sharing – looking for breast milk donations for their babies from neighbors or people online. But health experts warn the practice comes with risks.
Sebastián Martínez Valdivia
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The Biden administration is trying to close a gap in the Affordable Care Act that blocks 5 million people from getting affordable health care. -
Health care providers often rely on digital tools to inform treatment decisions. A growing number of hospitals are moving away from factoring race into kidney disease calculations, after recognizing Black patients could be at a disadvantage.
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A decision from the U.S. Supreme Court this summer could remove federal protections for abortion across the U.S. Most of the Midwest — and about half of all states — are certain or likely to ban or severely restrict access to abortion if given the chance.
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Overturning Roe v. Wade, as a leaked draft document indicates the U.S. Supreme Court might do, would end the constitutional right to an abortion. For Michigan OB-GYN Lisa Harris, the leak confirmed she needed to double down.
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Medical respite programs provide homeless people a safe place to recover from surgery or acute illness, learn to manage a chronic condition, and get help finding permanent housing. The decades-old concept has taken off in recent years.
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Ay junjun eb’ nik yune chonab’ a snanhal Oeste wan sk’ib’eb’ yu’uj jeb’ tz’at ja Norte, yu’uj tz’och jeb’ nik tz’yal junxhok ti’ehal chuk yalxi. Jeb’ yatutal ant’won anma yet’ eb tziln ati jeb’ anma yawlal tzyil jeb’ set to nik vacuna COVID sk’och ja junjun chonhab’.
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Sickle cell disease is a serious genetic condition that can cause severe pain, strokes and organ failure, affecting mainly people of African descent. Many adults don’t know if they are carrying the sickle cell trait, which can be passed on to children, so medical providers want to raise awareness about the importance of genetic testing.
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More seniors and people with disabilities are choosing to stay in their homes, and home health aides are vital to providing them basic assistance. The profession is projected to be one of the fastest growing nationally in the next decade, but it’s getting harder to recruit and retain these workers.
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In a livestreamed conversation, Side Effects Public Media discussed how leaders in a small Indiana town worked to break language barriers and provide COVID-19 vaccines to the town’s immigrant population, including the growing number of Indigenous Mayan people from Guatemala.
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Congress rejected pleas from the White House to pump more money into programs that ensure COVID tests, treatments and vaccines are free for everyone. Public health experts warn the funding cuts will worsen health disparities and hurt those who are already most vulnerable.
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In Iowa, midwives who are specially trained in home birth are pushing for licensure, as interest in home births rises and rural labor and delivery units continue to shutter.
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People in Kansas risk jail time if they call 911 to report an overdose. And not all law enforcement agencies use the lifesaving drug naloxone.
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.
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.