Insights

After his two children were killed by a driver high on painkillers, Bob Pack worked with California's existing database of prescriptions to create what he called "a built-in red flag system" to help identify prescription drug abuse.

The Federation of Journalists in Spain reports 4,000 layoffs and 70 news organization closures in 2012 alone. Cutbacks have affected biomedical journalists. Read some international perspectives from Spain, Germany, the UK and the US.

The Los Angeles Times found that in four Southern California counties there was more than one death every day from drugs that a doctor prescribed. Can doctors be disciplined for their patients' overdosing?

I'm honored to be participating in the California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowship in LA later this month. My fellowship proposal is a deeper look at groundwater contamination, with arsenic and nitrates identified as the two worst offenders.

Three years ago, one hospital in the area averaged 100 emergency room visits per month -- now it averages 400. That same hospital's debt, largely because of unpaid bills, stands at $1.2 million, a 2,000 percent increase in four years.

Center for Health Journalism Digital is looking for a new Community Editor to join our team in California.

How else can it be explained why there is no ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) pandemic in the HIV+ population?...

My series about Rubbertown, Ky., included real people who have lived close by their whole lives and were exposed to all kinds of chemicals in the past. But I would have sensationalized the story if I hadn’t reported the uncertainty that still permeates most of the research on health in the area.

With new devices and procedures, you always need to consider the availability of trained personnel to deliver the approach. You always need to consider the learning curve, too. These can be addressed in just a few words, but they are important context.