Psychiatrist Stays Close To Home And True To Her Childhood Promise
Yamanda Edwards is the only psychiatrist at Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital, caring for residents in South Los Angeles, a community with a shortage of mental health care.
Heidi de Marco
Heidi de Marco was a reporter and producer for 51ÊÓƵ Health News until March 2023.
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Medicaid Minus Stigma: In Indian Country, It’s Part Of The Fabric Of Life
McKinley County, N.M., has the nation’s highest rate of Medicaid enrollment, and people there say it is vital to battle daunting economic and public health challenges.
By Phil Galewitz Photos by Heidi de Marco -
Black Men’s Blood Pressure Is Cut Along With Their Hair
A new study shows that educational sessions about high blood pressure at African American barbershops, coupled with prescribing and helping to manage medication, reduced hypertension rates significantly.
By Susan Abram Photos by Heidi de Marco -
How Medicaid Became A Go-To Funder For Schools
Begun as a health care safety net for children and low-income families, Medicaid increasingly underwrites a range of services in America’s public schools.
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Health Care Revamped At L.A. County Jails
The effort, overseen by the county’s health services department, aims to improve care for a population with high rates of chronic disease, mental illness and drug addiction.
By Anna Gorman Photos by Heidi de Marco -
Of ‘Miracles’ And Money: Why Hemophilia Drugs Are So Expensive
The market is flooded with 28 different medications for just 20,000 patients with the hereditary bleeding disorder. Yet intense competition hasn’t worked to bring costs down. Sales amount to $4.6 billion annually in the U.S.
By Jenny Gold Photos by Heidi de Marco -
States Strive To Curb Costs For A Crucial — But Exorbitant — Hemophilia Treatment
Saving the lives of people with the bleeding disorder can require high doses of expensive blood-clotting factor. Taxpayers foot much of the bill as manufacturers profit enormously.
By Barbara Feder Ostrov Photos by Heidi de Marco -
No Car, No Care? Medicaid Transportation At Risk In Some States
For more than 50 years, the program for the poor and sick has been required to ferry certain clients to and from medical appointments. But a few states have sought — and received — waivers to that rule.
By JoNel Aleccia Photos by Heidi de Marco -
Home Care Agencies Often Wrongly Deny Medicare Help To The Chronically Ill
Agencies sometimes turn away Medicare beneficiaries with chronic health problems by incorrectly claiming Medicare won't pay for their services, say patient advocates.
By Susan Jaffe Photos by Heidi de Marco -
Frail Patients Losing Access To Dental House Calls
Dental hygienists who treat frail and elderly residents in nursing homes and other facilities are dropping out of California’s publicly funded dental program for the poor because of recent changes that cut their pay and create more administrative hurdles.
By Ana B. Ibarra Photos by Heidi de Marco -
Infection Lapses Rampant In Nursing Homes But Punishment Is Rare
A Kaiser Health News analysis of federal inspection records shows that nursing home inspectors labeled mistakes in infection control as serious for only 161 of the 12,056 homes they have cited since 2014.
By Jordan Rau Photos by Heidi de Marco -
Taken For A Ride? Ambulances Stick Patients With Surprise Bills
Public outrage over surprise medical bills prompted 21 states to pass consumer protection laws. But these laws largely ignore ambulance rides, which can leave patients stuck with hundreds or even thousands of dollars in bills.
By Melissa Bailey Photos by Heidi de Marco -
Breathing Fire: Health Is A Casualty Of Climate-Fueled Blazes
As the planet warms, wildfires such as the latest disastrous blazes in Northern California have increased in frequency and scope. Beyond the environmental effects, people suffer health repercussions that can be disabling and even deadly.
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For Active Seniors, Cohousing Offers A Cozier Alternative To Downsizing
Far from a commune or coop, these planned villages are no less about cooperation and community.
By Sharon Jayson Photos by Heidi de Marco -
Liquid Gold: Pain Doctors Soak Up Profits By Screening Urine For Drugs
With the nation's opioid crisis, urine testing has become a booming business and is especially lucrative for doctors who operate their own labs, a Kaiser Health News investigation finds. And dozens of practitioners have earned "the lion’s share" of their Medicare income exclusively from urine drug screens.
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‘No One Is Coming’: Hospice Patients Abandoned At Death’s Door
U.S. hospice agencies promise to be available around-the-clock to help patients dying in their homes. But a Kaiser Health News investigation shows that in an alarming number of cases, that promise is broken.
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One Nurse Per 4,000 Pupils = Not The Healthiest Arrangement
School districts in California and around the country face a long-standing shortage of nurses, mostly because of tight budgets. But some districts are finding creative ways to reduce the problem.
By Ana B. Ibarra Photos by Heidi de Marco -
Training New Doctors Right Where They’re Needed
Eight teaching centers in California aim to train and retain doctors in medically underserved areas such as California’s Central Valley. They are among 57 such institutions across the country that may soon receive a boost in funding from Congress.
By Ana B. Ibarra Photos by Heidi de Marco -
Why One California County Went Surgery Shopping
Fed up with high hospital costs and limited competition, Santa Barbara County sends willing employees out of town for better bargains. Local governments are slowly joining private employers in aggressively seeking out the best care for the lowest price.Â
By Chad Terhune Photos by Heidi de Marco -
Home Visits Help New Parents Overcome Tough Histories, Raise Healthy Children
A program that provides $400 million in federal funding for the visits expires next month. Advocates and providers hope it will be reauthorized with a higher level of funding — but some worry that might not happen.
By Anna Gorman Photos by Heidi de Marco
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