Health & Safety

Health & Safety

After a decadelong spate of closures, one rural Tennessee hospital reopens

7:36am August 31, 2022

by Blake Farmer

When rural hospitals go out of business, they're frequently gone for good. But now, some comebacks are a welcome sign for communities that have been without easy access to health care.

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Luisa García is the director of Profem Tijuana, a Mexican clinic that offers abortions and is near the border with the United States. In July, Americans made up an estimated 50% of patients seeking abortions there.

This Mexican clinic is offering discreet abortions to Americans just over the border

5:00am August 31, 2022

by Lilly Quiroz

In May, Americans made up 25% of patients receiving abortions at one clinic in Tijuana. By July, it was an estimated 50%. The director believes it's due to cost, privacy and convenience.

John Wall is shown on Dec. 13, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia prior to tip-off at an NBA game.

NBA star John Wall says emotional and physical hardships led him to consider suicide

4:25am August 31, 2022

by Ayana Archie

John Wall has spent more than a decade in NBA and has been named an All-Star. But he says a series of injuries and personal hardships took a toll on his mental state.

Urban farmer Victor Edalia (right) with three beneficiaries of his free veggies in 2020 (left to right): Sheila Musimbi, a single mom; Celine Oinga, who comes from a family of 9 siblings; and Jackline Oyamo, jobless due to the pandemic. He's expanded his

Health & Safety

Whatever happened to the Kenyan farmer who turned a dump into a garden of giveaways?

7:52pm August 30, 2022

by Thomas Bwire

Victor Edalia turned a trash dump into a farm. He hoped to earn extra income but decided to give away free produce during the pandemic. Now hundreds of needy families enjoy his harvest.

The FDA is expected to authorize a new COVID-19 booster shot this week.

Health & Safety

FDA expected to authorize new omicron-specific COVID boosters this week

1:24pm August 30, 2022

by Rob Stein

The Food and Drug Administration is planning to authorize a new generation of COVID-19 boosters this week that for the first time will target the omicron variant.

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Marijuana plants at Hepworth Farms in Milton, N.Y. Sixteen percent of Americans say they smoke marijuana, with 48% saying they have tried it at some point in their lives.

Marijuana use is outpacing cigarette use for the first time on record

7:51am August 30, 2022

by Ayana Archie

Cigarette use has been declining for decades, while marijuana use has been on the rise, according to a new Gallup survey in the U.S.

Health & Safety

This Massachusetts startup wants to track your sweat

5:10am August 30, 2022

by Ari Daniel

We've got any number of devices we can strap to our bodies to track our footsteps, heart rate, and sleep patterns. Next up, possibly — sweat monitoring for precision rehydration and worker safety.

The government will no longer be sending free COVID-19 tests to Americans

5:38pm August 29, 2022

by Ayana Archie

The Biden administration is pausing its distribution of free COVID-19 tests this week, but you can still order new ones before the end date.

Health & Safety

How climate change could be impacting pathogenic diseases

5:11pm August 29, 2022

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with climate scientist Camilo Mora on what impact climate change is having on pathogenic diseases.

Gloria Majiga-Kamoto, an activist from Malawi, was one of six recipients of the 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize. Majiga-Kamoto has been campaigning to convince Malawi to implement a ban on thin plastics.

Whatever happened to the Malawian anti-plastic activist inspired by goats?

5:00pm August 29, 2022

by Julia Simon

Gloria Majiga-Kamoto, after seeing goats dying from eating plastic bags, took on the plastic industry and won the Goldman Environmental Prize. But Malawi's plastic industry still poses challenges.