Reporting

Researchers found that California diabetics who live in low-income neighborhoods are up to 10 times more likely to lose a toe, foot or leg than patients who live in affluent areas. Early diagnosis and proper treatment can prevent many of these amputations, researchers said.

It's been more than 10 years since Susan's adult son was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. The journey to treatment has been anything but easy, but Susan has worked tirelessly to get back the son she once allowed to walk away. She calls her son her "rescued treasure."

I had thought of chaplains as ministers of war, sent to hear final confessions and administer a fallen soldier’s last rights. But the role that a chaplain can play in helping people who are sick or dying—and their loved ones—is vastly more expansive, a change increasingly evident in cancer care.

More than a quarter of the hospitals in the Pittsburgh area have closed since 2000, drastically reducing the amount of charitable care available to the poor. Where are they getting care?

Myrtis Henderson is one of many patients who fall into a yawning gap in the health safety net. Many such patients need specialty care but are unable to get it because they don't have insurance or have inadequate insurance. Specialists won't accept them, or they can't pay upfront for the visit.

Sean D. Hamill wrote this report for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as a 2013 National Health Journalism Fellow and Dennis Hunt Health Journalism Fund grantee. Other stories in the series include can be found here.

Sean D. Hamill wrote this report for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as a 2013 National Health Journalism Fellow and Dennis Hunt Health Journalism Fund grantee.

When Jeannette South-Paul, a nationally known advocate for the underserved, came to the University of Pittsburgh in 2001 and wanted to establish a federally qualified health center, she sought out the person who knew more about them than anyone in town.