Health & Safety

two people hold a banner at a rally for LGBTQ youth

Veto overridden: Ban on gender-affirming care for minors takes effect in North Carolina

9:05am August 17, 2023

by Hannah Shoenbaum, Associated Press/Report for America

Transgender youth in North Carolina lost access Wednesday to gender-affirming medical treatments after the Republican-led General Assembly overrode the governor’s vetoes of that legislation and other bills touching on gender in sports and LGBTQ+ instruction in the classroom.

Morning news brief

8:13am August 17, 2023

Federal appeals court ruling deals a blow to abortion pill access. The death toll from the Lahaina fires has increased to 101. Guatemala's presidential elections are this weekend.

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Health & Safety

Federal appeals court ruling deals a blow to access to abortion pill mifepristone

7:21am August 17, 2023

The appeals court backs restricting the use of mifepristone, a pill used in medication abortions. But previous action by the Supreme Court means the status quo holds for now.

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A patient prepares to take mifepristone, for a medication abortion. A federal appeals court ruled to impose new restrictions on the drug Wednesday but the ruling will not take effect until the Supreme Court weighs in.

Ruling deals blow to access to abortion pill mifepristone — but nothing changes yet

7:19pm August 16, 2023

A federal appeals court would restrict the use of mifepristone, a pill used in medication abortions. But previous action by the Supreme Court means the status quo holds for now.

Rescue workers in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, walk past homes wrecked by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Early reports suggested dozens of people died in the storm, but later assessments found the death toll to be at least 20 times higher.

Hurricanes cause vast majority of storm deaths in vulnerable communities

5:42pm August 16, 2023

by Alejandra Borunda

New research puts stark numbers on a well-known disparity: poor and vulnerable communities suffer over 90 percent of deaths associated with major storms.

Texas workers are speaking up before the ban on guaranteed water breaks starts

5:28pm August 16, 2023

by Andrew Weber

A new state law in Texas goes into effect soon that bans guaranteed water breaks on outdoor job sites. Now, some cities and workers there are pushing back and calling for new federal heat standards.

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Restrictions on abortion pill mifepristone upheld by U.S. appeals court

4:58pm August 16, 2023

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

A U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals panel upheld restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone, finding that the FDA didn't take safety concerns into account when making the pill more accessible.

Dr. Reza Danesh, the MODO Mobile Doctor, has been treating patients affected by the wildfires on Maui.

After Maui's deadly fires, one doctor hits the road to help those in need

11:17am August 16, 2023

by Jason DeRose

The death toll from Maui's fires has surpassed 100. Many more were injured. Others fled without their prescription drugs. Getting victims the care they need has been tough. One doctor is stepping up.

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Rukaya Mumuni, nurse and public health specialist from Ghana, at the Women Deliver Conference in Kigali, Rwanda. "I wish women [could] get the right training, compensation, mentorship and recognition for the vital work they do in health care," she says.

Health & Safety

What does it take to be a heroine of health? Education, dedication ... a stealth plan

10:30am August 16, 2023

by Ruchi Kumar

We interview two honorees from this summer's Women Deliver conference: a community health worker with an innovative strategy and a nurse who aims to heal the sick and bolster her profession.

An analysis of court records by the state treasurer and Duke researchers finds Atrium Health in Charlotte, N.C., accounted for almost a third of the legal actions against North Carolina patients over roughly five years.

Hospitals sued thousands of patients in North Carolina for unpaid bills, report finds

5:00am August 16, 2023

by Noam Levey

The suits pursued patients and their families, sometimes putting liens on homes. "I know my house will never be mine. It is going to be the hospital's," said Donna Lindabury, 70, who lost her case.