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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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.
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Indiana drew national attention for an HIV outbreak in 2015 — mostly tied to drug use. But there’s a hidden HIV epidemic among another group of people — Black women, who are being diagnosed with HIV at disproportionately high rates.
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An external review of the death of a Black female doctor found the “medical management and technical care” she received from Indiana University Health did not contribute to her death.
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Reaching adulthood brings new challenges — new jobs, school, relationships — and that can affect a young person's mental health. But navigating the health care system to get help with that is often not easy.
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As more Americans are vaccinated for COVID-19, many states are beginning to lift restrictions on gatherings. But for some people, the thought of going back to a pre-pandemic lifestyle is cause for anxiety.
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April Hendrickson is a resource nurse at University Hospital and Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. She spoke with Side Effect’s Public Media’s Darian…