Health & Safety

How a government shutdown would affect community health centers

5:16am September 28, 2023

by Sarah Boden

Federally funded health centers across the U.S. fear a government shutdown could further disrupt medical care for the uninsured and undocumented. They already face inflation and staffing challenges.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and other members of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus could force a federal government shutdown Oct. 1. The National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and prevention would be affected.

What happens to health programs if the federal government shuts down?

10:26pm September 27, 2023

by Julie Rovner

Medicare and Medicaid are mandatory spending programs and that keeps them relatively safe in the early days of the shutdown, but 42% of the Department of Health's staff will be furloughed.

Health & Safety

A new study shows how certain genes can cause brain disorders like autism

4:38pm September 27, 2023

by Jon Hamilton

Scientists have used brain organoids to show one way that genes associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder disrupt brain development.

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How a government shutdown could impact you

4:38pm September 27, 2023

As House Republicans struggle to keep the federal government open beyond September 30, NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with a trio of NPR correspondents about the potential impact of a government shutdown.

There's high demand for this fall's COVID shots, which offer protection against circulating variants of omicron. But there's been some distribution hiccups.

Health & Safety

This year's COVID vaccine rollout is off to a bumpy start, despite high demand

1:27pm September 27, 2023

Some people are finding pharmacies still don't have supply of the shots, and others are having insurance coverage troubles. Here's what's going on.

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When Florence Nightingale was recruiting nurses, an accomplished nurse from Jamaica named Mary Seacole traveled to London but was repeatedly rejected. Seacole wrote: "Did these ladies shrink from accepting my aid because my blood flowed beneath a somewhat duskier skin than theirs? " Her experience is part of the new book Taking Care: The Story of Nursing and its Power to Change the World.

Health & Safety

A history of nurses: They once had the respect they're now trying to win

10:52am September 27, 2023

by Rhitu Chatterjee

In Taking Care: The Story of Nursing and its Power to Change the World, author Sarah DiGregorio tells how nurses had great stature centuries ago — and how they got pushed into the background.

Health & Safety

Rollout of the new COVID vaccine has been hampered by distribution problems

8:32am September 27, 2023

For the first time, the federal government isn't picking up the tab. Private insurers are supposed to make the vaccine free of charge, but there have been glitches.

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Morning news brief

7:32am September 27, 2023

Donald Trump won't be a part of Wednesday's GOP presidential primary debate. Amazon faces a federal monopoly lawsuit. The rollout of the new COVID vaccine has been hampered by distribution problems.

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School districts rush to stock Narcan, the best defense against fentanyl

5:14am September 27, 2023

by Sequoia Carrillo

Narcan is the best option schools have to save students from an overdose, but it's only readily available in a handful of the nation's districts.

New York firefighters continue to lose lives from 9/11 illnesses

5:24pm September 26, 2023

by Becky Sullivan

Two recent deaths of New York City firefighters from 9/11-related illnesses brought the total to 343, matching the FDNY's death toll from 9/11.

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