covid-19 pandemic

As states take steps to tighten abortion laws, conversations have been reignited about how to best support families and babies. Many policy experts point to a permanent Child Tax Credit, made available to low- and no-income families, as one way to do that.

A new study shows alcohol use increased during the pandemic for those 21 and older, but finding treatment can be a challenge.

While cancer death rates in the U.S. have declined in recent years, racial disparities persist. Midwestern states — including Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Indiana — have some of the highest rates of cancer mortality for Black residents in the country. Public health advocates have worked for years to close the racial gap, but some worry the pandemic will delay progress.

Families with loved ones in facilities for the developmentally disabled are especially eager to spend the holidays together. But as the pandemic continues, they face new uncertainty and continuing lockdowns even as the rest of the country tries to get back to normal.

The coronavirus swept through the nation’s meat processing facilities in 2020. Nearly two years into the pandemic, many are still searching for answers — and calling for change.

Immigrants make up an estimated 40 percent of the U.S. meat processing workforce. Last year’s wave of COVID outbreaks at meatpacking plants exposed many vulnerabilities among the industry’s diverse workforce.

Nationwide, COVID-19 disproportionately affected communities of color — in part because the U.S. relies on immigrant workers in food and agriculture.

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.

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.

These attacks can lead to significant delays in care for already overburdened or rural hospitals.