Darian Benson
Reporter, Side Effects and WFYIDarian Benson is a reporter based at WFYI in Indianapolis. An Indy native, she is eager to report on public health in her hometown. Darian graduated with a journalism degree from Indiana Unviersity- Purdue University Indianapolis. Previously, she covered city and public policy for WFYI and statewide public health for Indiana Public Broadcasting. She can be reached at dbenson@wfyi.org.
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Pregnant people struggling with addiction fear mistreatment from health care providers and worry about the possibility that they’ll lose custody of their baby. -
Nearly every state has laws that limit access to opioid treatment programs, according to a new report from the Pew Charitable Trusts.
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People in recovery for substance use disorder often need to attend medical appointments, recovery meetings or meet with a probation officer. But access to transportation can be a barrier to recovery.
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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.
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Research suggests breast milk from vaccinated mothers offers at least some protection against the coronavirus. With children under 5 still too young for the vaccine, some parents are seeking out donated breast milk with antibodies for protection.
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There is so much data related to COVID-19 available that it can be hard to make sense of it all.To get some clarity on the issue, Side Effects Public Media and Indiana Public Broadcasting spoke with experts about how to find COVID-19 data and how to use it to guide decision-making.
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This year, 25 percent fewer teens reported using marijuana, alcohol or nicotine in the past year compared to 2020. It’s the largest year to year drop in teen substance use in the 46 years the survey has been conducted.
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Libraries play a central role in many communities, providing books and information and helping people navigate challenges. Increasingly, those challenges are beyond the scope of what librarians are trained to handle — like housing insecurity and mental illness. To meet the need, some libraries are hiring social workers.
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Sheila Muhammad tested positive for HIV more than 30 years ago and her life quickly changed. But as the years passed, attitudes and treatments of HIV changed. Muhammad spoke with Side Effects Public Media about the power in education and understanding of the virus.
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The CDC reported the first case of HIV 40 years ago. Since then, health officials and advocates learned much more about the virus and how to prevent it. But Black women are being infected at unusually high rates. Outreach organizations are working to change that.
