Insights

The Children’s Clinic, tucked in a busy office park five miles outside downtown Portland, OR, and bustling with noisy babies, boisterous kids and energetic pediatricians, seems ordinary enough. But, for the last two years, a quiet revolution has been brewing in its exam rooms.

Many health care nonprofits rely on the good will of donors to carry out their missions. But when donors start to waver or renege on their committments, it's easy for organizations to prematurely reach for legal remedies, as contributing editor William Heisel explains.

In recent years, the idea that journalists should focus on building the future of news with communities — not just for them — has gained traction. Josh Stearns profiles the work of Jeremy Hay, who has embraced this community-first approach with a local news service in East Palo Alto.

When it came to reaching low-income mothers suffering from maternal depression and other issues, the old ways of reaching out to moms weren't working. So the New Haven-based MOMS Partnership started taking the services to where moms are — including the local supermarket.

Get the latest information on upcoming grants, fellowships and educational opportunities. Plus new job listings in health journalism across the United States.

Decades of research showing how toxic stress caused by adversity inflicts long-term damage to children’s brains and bodies have inspired the creation of courts specifically focused on early childhood cases, some of which are known as Safe Babies Courts. The results have been impressive.

Creating in-roads for community participation and giving local people more power to contribute to local journalism is complex and time-intensive. But the end result can be a public that is more engaged in their communities and in supporting news-gathering efforts.

Saint John’s Health Center in Los Angeles garnered media attention recently with the news that it was suing a donor after her estate refused to fulfill a multi-million dollar donation pledge. William Heisel explores what happens when dream donations turn into legal nightmares.

From hospital systems to pharmacies, this summer’s health headlines have been filled with tales of consolidation. And no where has the “merger mania” been more evident than the insurance sector. Health policy expert Paul Ginsburg helps us break down the trend in this Q&A.