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Youth ambassadors train for a future in public health : Shots
Bithaniya Fieseha, a high school senior, graduates from the Youth Public Health Ambassador program run by the Fairfax County Health Department at West Springfield High School in Fairfax County, Va. Will Schermerhorn/Fairfax County Health Department hide caption toggle caption Will Schermerhorn/Fairfax County Health Department Bithaniya Fieseha, a high school senior, graduates from the Youth Public Health Ambassador program run by the Fairfax County Health Department at West Springfield High School in Fairfax County, Va. Will Schermerhorn/Fairfax County Health Department Of all the things she could have done on her summer vacation, Bithaniya Fieseha, a senior at West Springfield High School in Fairfax County, Va., decided to study chronic disease, mental…
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Mistaken identity leads to big hospital bill mix-up : Shots
In 2013, Grace E. Elliott spent a night in a hospital in Florida for a kidney infection that was treated with antibiotics. Eight years later, she got a large bill from the health system that bought the hospital. This bill was for an unrelated surgical procedure she didn’t need and never received. It was a case of mistaken identity, she knew, but proving that wasn’t easy. Shelby Knowles for KHN hide caption toggle caption Shelby Knowles for KHN In 2013, Grace E. Elliott spent a night in a hospital in Florida for a kidney infection that was treated with antibiotics. Eight years later, she got a large bill from the…
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Blind people still get medical bills they can’t read : Shots
Lucy Greco (left), a web-accessibility specialist at the University of California, Berkeley, is blind. She reads most of her documents online, but employs Liza Schlosser-Olroyd as an aide to sort through her paper mail every other month, to make sure Greco hasn’t missed a bill or other important correspondence. Shelby Knowles for KHN hide caption toggle caption Shelby Knowles for KHN Lucy Greco (left), a web-accessibility specialist at the University of California, Berkeley, is blind. She reads most of her documents online, but employs Liza Schlosser-Olroyd as an aide to sort through her paper mail every other month, to make sure Greco hasn’t missed a bill or other important correspondence.…
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How therapists are trying to heal intergenerational trauma : Shots
Cambodian American Eden Teng was was born in a refugee camp on the border of Thailand and Cambodia just a few years after the Cambodian genocide. She moved to the U.S. with her mom and aunt when she was 6. Teng attributes much of her own resilience in transitioning to the U.S. to her exuberant mom, who wore whatever she wanted and wasn’t afraid to defy social norms — even when it was embarrassing for a teenage Teng. But when she was growing up, Teng also witnessed the negative impacts of historical, racial and intergenerational trauma on her mom’s wellbeing. Teng often felt confused by the way her mom’s emotions…
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How black athletes pioneered the sport of distance running : Shots
Cover of Running While Black byAlison Mariella Desir. Penguin Random House hide caption toggle caption Penguin Random House Cover of Running While Black byAlison Mariella Desir. Penguin Random House Runners are skinny white people. This was what Alison Mariella Désir thought until she came across a social media post from a friend, a 200-pound Black man, who was training for his first marathon. Looking for a way to break through a persistent bout of depression, she signed up for a marathon as well. Much to her surprise, after 16 weeks of training with a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society running club in Manhattan’s Central Park, Désir completed the race. And from…
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Montana health officials call out hospitals for too little charity : Shots
Montana health officials are seeking to increase oversight of nonprofit hospitals amid debate about whether they pay their fair share. The proposal comes nine months after a KHN investigation found that some of Montana’s wealthiest hospitals, such as the Billings Clinic, lag behind state and national averages in community giving. Lynn Donaldson/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Lynn Donaldson/Bloomberg via Getty Images Montana health officials are seeking to increase oversight of nonprofit hospitals amid debate about whether they pay their fair share. The proposal comes nine months after a KHN investigation found that some of Montana’s wealthiest hospitals, such as the Billings Clinic, lag behind state and national…