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Author: Pattie Lockard

In COVID Hot Zones, Firefighters Now ‘Pump More Oxygen Than Water’

Eli Cahan December 14, 2020 This story also ran on The Guardian. It can be republished for free. As a boy, Robert Weber chased the blazing lights and roaring sirens of fire engines down the streets of Brooklyn, New York. He hung out at the […]

For Nurses Feeling the Strain of the Pandemic, Virus Resurgence Is ‘Paralyzing’

Charlotte Huff November 24, 2020 For Christina Nester, the pandemic lull in Massachusetts lasted about three months through summer into early fall. In late June, St. Vincent Hospital had resumed elective surgeries, and the unit the 48-year-old nurse works on switched back from taking care […]

Fighting for Patient Protections While Attacking ACA — Hard to Have It Both Ways

Alex Sakariassen October 7, 2020 Throughout the 2020 election cycle, candidates’ positions on health care have been particularly important for voters with underlying and often expensive medical needs — in short, those with preexisting conditions. It’s no surprise, then, that protections for people who have […]

Altered Mindsets: Marijuana Is Making Its Mark on Ballots in Red States

Justin Franz September 8, 2020 When Tamarack Dispensary opened in the northwestern Montana city of Kalispell in 2009, medical marijuana was legal but still operating on the fringes of the conservative community. Times have changed. Owner Erin Bolster no longer receives surprised or puzzled looks […]

Dying Young: The Health Care Workers in Their 20s Killed by COVID-19

Alastair Gee, The Guardian August 13, 2020 Jasmine Obra believed that if it wasn’t for her brother Joshua, she wouldn’t exist. When 7-year-old Josh realized that his parents weren’t going to live forever, he asked for a sibling so he would never be alone. By […]

They Got A Big ER Bill Because Hospitals Couldn’t Test For Virus

Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News July 7, 2020 Fresh off a Caribbean cruise in early March, John Campbell developed a cough and fever of 104 degrees. He went to his primary care physician and got a flu test, which came up negative. Then things got […]

Federal Help Falters As Nursing Homes Run Short Of Protective Equipment

Jordan Rau, Kaiser Health News June 11, 2020 Around the country, nursing homes trying to protect their residents from the coronavirus eagerly await boxes of masks, eyewear and gowns promised by the federal government. But all too often the packages deliver disappointment — if they […]

Testing Remains Inconsistent In Long-Term Care…

Laura Ungar May 12, 2020 Mary Lanham’s assisted living complex in Florida tested all residents for COVID-19 — once in March and again in April — even though no one showed symptoms. The preventive measure put her daughter’s mind at ease, since testing can detect […]