Children's Health

Gov. Asa Hutchinson On Vetoing A Bill Banning Gender-Affirming Care For Trans Youth

4:42pm April 06, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Gov. Asa Hutchinson, R-Ark., who vetoed a bill to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors in Arkansas. The state legislature overrode the bill today.

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Congressman Jeremy Gray's Bill To Bring Yoga Back To Alabama Public Schools

4:42pm April 06, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Rep. Jeremy Gray, D-Ala., on his bill to bring yoga back to Alabama public schools.

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Arkansas Governor Vetoes Bill To Prevent Treatments For Transgender Youths

7:59pm April 05, 2021

by Jacqueline Froelich

Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson vetoed a bill today that would have stopped doctors in Arkansas from treating transgender youth with hormones, puberty blockers or surgery.

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Court Backlogs During The Pandemic Meant Kids Stayed Longer in Foster Care

5:03pm April 05, 2021

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Julia Lurie, senior reporter at Mother Jones, about how the pandemic has impacted the foster care system and kept children separated from their parents for longer.

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Vinessa Kirkwood, who lives in northwestern Indiana, said she's had to cancel appointments at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis for her 20-month-old son, Donte, because she can't afford to pay for lodging.

Health & Safety

Families With Sick Kids On Medicaid Seek Easier Access To Out-of-State Hospitals

1:18pm April 05, 2021

by Harris Meyer

Many state Medicaid programs pay out-of-state providers much less than in-state facilities, often making it hard for families with medically complex children to get the care they seek.

A male bonobo at Lola yo Bonobo sanctuary. Only about 20,000 wild bonobos are left, and they are found only in the central rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Saving Endangered Bonobos Teaches A Lesson In Empathy

7:05am April 03, 2021

by Jon Hamilton

At an animal sanctuary in the Congo, young students are learning why the gentle, endangered apes known as bonobos should be seen as a national treasure.

A new study finds that COVID-19 vaccines produce effective levels of antibodies in pregnant and breastfeeding women. They may benefit babies as well.

Study: COVID-19 Vaccine Is Safe During Pregnancy And May Protect Baby, Too

6:07pm April 02, 2021

by Jane Greenhalgh

Not only does the new research show the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are effective at protecting pregnant people, it also found that antibodies were present in umbilical cord blood and breast milk.

Study Shows Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine To Work In Young People Ages 12-15

4:32pm March 31, 2021

by Joe Palca

A study of nearly 2,300 volunteers shows Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine appears to work in adolescents. There were 18 cases of COVID-19 in people who got a placebo and none in those who got the vaccine.

Students stand for the Pledge of Allegiance as they return to in-person learning at St. Anthony Catholic High School in California on March 24. Masks and physical distancing are proving to have some major public health benefits, keeping people from gettin

Health & Safety

Should Masking Last Beyond The Pandemic? Flu And Colds Are Down, Spurring A Debate

2:38pm March 30, 2021

by Blake Farmer

Hospitalizations are down 62% for childhood respiratory illnesses, a study shows. Masking and physical distancing are keeping a variety of viruses in check, but will these behaviors last?

Upset routines, sedentary life and unhealthy parental habits have been a blow to kids' physical fitness.

Health & Safety

How Parents Can Address Kids' Pandemic Weight Gain

8:01am March 21, 2021

Upset routines and unhealthy parental habits have sapped children's fitness, says pediatric nurse practitioner Suzannah Stivison. She offers ways parents can help promote healthier habits.