Kellie Schmitt
Affordable Care Act Blogger, Freelance Health Reporter
Affordable Care Act Blogger, Freelance Health Reporter
I write for the Center for Health Journalism's Remaking Health Care blog. Previously, I was a health reporter for the Bakersfield Californian, a staff writer for the San Jose Mercury News, and a business reporter for the San Francisco Recorder. I spent two years reporting from China for publications including The Economist's Business China, China Economic Review, and CNN Travel.
In 2012, I was a Health Journalism Fellow. My project examined the high number of foreign-trained doctors in California's Central Valley, a series which won awards from the Association of Healthcare Journalists and the California Newspaper Publishers Association.
I also worked with the Center for Health Journalism's multi-part, collaborative series on the devastating toll Valley Fever has had on California's Central Valley.
As one mom put it: “If it were short-term, sure, we can endure that level of suffering, but for a year or two? I feel like I have to take a bit of a risk.”
“It’s a virus that can impact every system of the body and I think for long-haulers, it ends up impacting every aspect of life,” said journalist Fiona Lowenstein.
The bill gained momentum as the pandemic put a spotlight on health care disparities and workforce shortages.
“There’s a mad scramble going on right now,” said WSJ national education reporter Tawnell Hobbs.
“COVID has exposed the result of decades of underfunding and inaction,” says Dr. Mary Owen of the Center of American Indian and Minority Health.
Workers are being forced to choose between unemployment or returning to work and risking their family's health.
Charlie Ornstein of ProPublica and Reuters' Chris Kirkham talk strategy.
Pam Belluck of The New York Times and expert Dr. Roberta DeBiasi offer fresh insights on the novel syndrome.
How journalists of color can practice self-care, stay safe and advocate for fair coverage in their newsrooms.
With soaring unemployment, millions falling behind in rent and mile-long food bank lines, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a food and housing crisis of epic proportions.