An NPR investigation found Louisiana health officials told staff to stop promoting vaccines for COVID, flu and mpox, holding flu shot events or otherwise encouraging the public to get those vaccines.
public health
Posted inNPR
How are states spending their opioid settlement cash? Look yours up in this database
From addiction treatment to toy robot ambulances, here’s how state and local governments used billions in opioid settlement funds in 2022 and 2023. Explore this database to find our how officials are using the payouts where you live.
Posted inNPR
Why these doctors started writing medical ‘prescriptions’ for solar power
Doctors in Boston got tired of writing letters to power companies asking them to help vulnerable patients. Then they realized the solar panels on the hospital roof might offer a solution.
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How measles, whooping cough and worse could roar back on RFK Jr.’s watch
With anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in charge of the nation’s biggest health agency, it wouldn’t take much tampering to enable vaccine-preventable diseases to make a comeback.
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As federal aid shrinks, communities try new ways to tackle child poverty on their own
After Congress ended extra cash aid for families, local efforts aimed to fill the gap. In Flint, Michigan, Rx Kids gives cash aid to every family for a baby’s first year. Will it work elsewhere?
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Florida health official advises communities to stop adding fluoride to drinking water
Florida’s surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, cited developmental concerns from higher levels of fluoride than are found in most U.S. water supplies.
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RFK Jr. wants to ‘Make America Healthy Again.’ He could face a lot of pushback
RFK Jr. wants to tackle chronic disease. Despite controversial views on vaccines, his focus on healthy food and taking on special interests may find broad support — and face political headwinds.
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How the CDC could change under the next Trump administration
If the new administration embraces proposals to cut the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s budget and its mission, the public health agency could look very different than it does today.
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Instead of sodas, these vending machines offer needles and Narcan to fight overdoses
Groups trying to reduce overdose deaths and the spread of infectious diseases are using vending machines to get clean needles, pipes, wound care kits, Narcan and other safety supplies to drug users.
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Black Americans still suffer worse health. Here’s why there’s so little progress
The United States has made almost no progress in closing racial health disparities despite promises, research shows. The government, some critics argue, is often the underlying culprit.
