health care

For some rural vets who live far from a VA hospital, getting medical care has meant driving a day or two from home, and missing work.

A Benefit For Rural Vets: Getting Health Care Close To Home

7:13pm October 16, 2014

by Quil Lawrence

Veterans in some rural areas have to travel hundreds of miles on empty interstates to get health care, losing a day of work or sometimes two. A new program lets them see nearby doctors instead.

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Dr. Risi (top, center) spent a month working with the medical team at Kenema General Hospital, the largest Ebola treatment center in Sierra Leone.

A Montana Doctor Is Humbled By A Month Of Treating Ebola Patients

6:54pm October 15, 2014

by Eric Whitney

George Risi spent a month in Sierra Leone. The infectious disease specialist cared for more than 300 patients. About 100 died. Nothing could have prepared him for the experience.

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Dr. Patrick Kamara adjusts his goggles on the final day of training and the first "dress rehearsal" before being sent out to Ebola treatment units. The World Health Organization is ramping up to train up to 500 new health workers a week as part of the eff

On Front Lines Against Ebola, Training A Matter Of Life Or Death

7:20pm October 14, 2014

by Jason Beaubien

At least 7,000 health care workers are needed to staff new Ebola treatment centers in Liberia alone. Those doctors, nurses and hygienists must learn how to protect themselves — and how not to panic.

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Alana and Troy Pack died in 2003 when a woman abusing pain pills hit the children with her car. The accident has led to a ballot measure that, among other things, would put new constraints on physicians.

California Ballot Measure Pits Doctors Against Lawyers

6:41pm October 14, 2014

by April Dembosky

Proposition 46 tackles painkiller abuse, malpractice caps and mandatory drug and alcohol testing of doctors. Backers say the law would enhance patient safety, but doctors say the cost is too high.

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Nurses Want To Know How Safe Is Safe Enough With Ebola

4:22pm October 14, 2014

by Nancy Shute

It's not clear how Dallas nurse Nina Pham became infected with Ebola virus while working in the intensive care unit. Nurses at many hospitals say they haven't had enough training to deal with Ebola.

Health & Safety

Health Premiums And Costs Set To Rise For Workers Covered At Work

11:20am October 14, 2014

by Michelle Andrews

As many companies provide employees with their coverage details this fall, premiums are expected to increase modestly. Surcharges for spousal coverage and health savings accounts are also on the rise.

Training Is Key In Lowering Risk For Health Care Workers Treating Ebola

6:52pm October 12, 2014

NPR's Arun Rath speaks with Dr. Suzanne Donovan, an infectious disease specialist at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, about the risk of infection for health care workers treating Ebola patients.

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Lawmakers Grill Dallas Health Officials On Ebola Response

2:20pm October 11, 2014

by Jeff Brady

The WHO says the Ebola virus has claimed more than 4,000 lives. In Dallas on Friday, members of Congress pressed public health officials on their handling of the first Ebola case diagnosed in the U.S.

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A vehicle that picks up hospital waste arrives at Teresa Romero Ramos' house in Alcorcon, outside Madrid, on Wednesday. The Spanish nurse was the first case of human-to-human Ebola contagion in Europe.

Hospital: Condition Of Spanish Nurse With Ebola Is Deteriorating

1:08pm October 09, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The hospital declined to elaborate on details of Teresa Romero Ramos, 44, who was admitted earlier this week after apparently contracting the disease from a patient she was treating.

A team from Dr. Paul Farmer's Partners In Health nonprofit visited southeast Liberia's Martha Tubman Memorial Hospital in September. The hospital has a new, six-bed isolation unit financed by the U.N.

A Strong Voice From The Ebola Front: Lorenzo Dorr

4:23pm October 08, 2014

by Hannah Bloch

Drugs are in short supply. So is protective gear. Muddy roads may be impassable. But community health worker Lorenzo Dorr continues his efforts to keep Ebola in check in remote parts of Liberia.