Children's Health

Schools Reopen In Georgia With Varying Levels Of Success

5:40am August 07, 2020

Some schools in Georgia opened this week for in person instruction. Pictures showing students shoulder-to-shoulder in hallways and several positive coronavirus tests all suggest a difficult Fall.

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Listener Questions On School Reopenings Answered

4:11pm August 06, 2020

Some schools are choosing to be remote-only this fall, while others have already reopened. NPR looks at the science and education issues facing families, states and educators as classes resume.

NPR spoke with health experts about some of the coronavirus risks involved with schools reopening in the fall.

How Safe Is Your School's Reopening Plan? Here's What To Look For

3:18pm August 06, 2020

As schools weigh the risks of reopening, many are making plans to lower the risks of coronavirus transmission. Here's how to vet your school's proposals.

Nika Cotton recently opened Soulcentricitea in Kansas City, Mo. When public schools shut down in the spring, Cotton had no one to watch her young children who are 8 and 10. So she quit her job in social work — and lost her health insurance — in order

Missouri Voters Approve Medicaid Expansion Despite Resistance From Republican Leaders

3:09pm August 05, 2020

by Alex Smith

Missouri is the second state to expand the health care program via ballot measure during the pandemic. Nearly a quarter-million people could get health insurance thanks to the measure.

Vaccine-makers are readying 190 million doses of the flu vaccine for deployment across the U.S. this fall — 20 million more doses than in a typical year. A nasal spray version will be available, as well as shots.

2020 Flu Shot Strategy: Get Yours Early In The Season

10:00am August 04, 2020

by Fran Kritz

With the flu season looming, public health officials urge nearly all Americans over 6 months old to get immunized starting next month. Strategize now to avoid getting the flu while COVID-19 is raging.

Renee Bach, who is 31, was sued in Ugandan civil court over the deaths of children who were treated at the critical care center she ran in Uganda. She has left Uganda and is now living in the U.S.

Health & Safety

U.S. Missionary With No Medical Training Settles Suit Over Child Deaths At Her Center

4:50pm July 31, 2020

by Nurith Aizenman

Renee Bach ran a treatment center for severely malnourished children in Uganda. Over five years, 105 died. This week, a lawsuit by two mothers who each lost a son was settled with a cash payment.

'It's Very Daunting And Overwhelming': School Nurses On Preparing For The School Year

4:33pm July 30, 2020

by Clare Lombardo

School nurses are often the first line of health care for students. They are now working with their districts to help make plans for the upcoming school year — but some don't have much of a say.

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Voters in Kirkwood, Mo., cast ballots on Nov. 6, 2018 that helped decide the balance of power in Congress. Next week they'll get the chance to decide whether to expand Medicaid in their state. The measure could extend health coverage to more than 230,000

Health & Safety

Will Missouri Be The Next Red State To Expand Medicaid? Voters To Decide

5:00am July 30, 2020

by Cara Anthony

Advocates for expansion say it would create jobs, protect hospitals from budget cuts, bring billions of federal taxpayer dollars back to the state, and bring health coverage to 230,000 more people.

Lead exposure has been an issue for many years. Above: Women and children from lead-contaminated villages rest on mattresses during testing and treatment for lead poisoning in a ward at the Doctors Without Borders clinic in Anka, Nigeria, in 2010.

'Silent Epidemic': Nearly 1 In 3 Kids Exposed To Damaging Levels Of Lead

8:07pm July 29, 2020

by Maria Godoy

It's the first time global data has been gathered on the extent of the problem. Experts are calling it a "groundbreaking" report. And the ill effects can last for a lifetime.

People wait in line outside a testing site in Florida. The state has seen unprecedented surges in coronavirus cases in recent weeks.

Pandemic Is Overwhelming U.S. Public Health Capacity In Many States. What Now?

3:03pm July 28, 2020

by Rob Stein

With the coronavirus spreading out of control in many parts of the U.S., some experts say the strategy of testing and tracing can't contain the pandemic until lockdowns bring case numbers down.

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