Poverty and Class

Homelessness has long been a serious problem in Anchorage, Alaska. The challenge for two reporters at Alaska Dispatch News was to find new ways to cut through old perceptions and debates to tell stories that showed their subjects’ enduring humanity. Here's how they did it.

Even with all the changes in the health care landscape, there are still more not-for-profit hospitals in the U.S. than profit-driven organizations or government-run hospitals. Finding out information isn't always easy, but using IRS 990 forms can offer a powerful window into their workings.

“Health care is what happens when things go wrong,” Dr. Anthony Iton says. “Health care doesn’t actually make you healthy — it prevents you from deteriorating rapidly.” The broader forces that really shape health, he argues, are what journalists and policymakers should really be focusing on.

My project will compare the health status of Valley Latinos living in a handful of urban communities to those living in rural towns.

Beaches, sunshine, natural beauty, high-priced homes. In so many ways, Ventura County embodies the affluent, laid-back lifestyle of California’s coastal regions....

They say money talks, but so does anger. That’s why it pays to spend some time in bankruptcy court when you are looking for gripping tales on the health care beat. These resources and tips will get you on your way.

I was nervous about the final story in my series from the start, since I'd need to feature someone who fell into the large group of “other” uninsured. Finding such a source would take me down a lot of dead ends before I finally got a solid lead and, ultimately, an amazing source.

When freelance reporter Kit Stolz began reporting on the obesity disparity between two towns in Ventura County, he found officials in one town happy to talk while those in the other where hard to get on the line. In this post, he shares some of his missteps and lessons learned along the way.

Learning how to locate and use patient discharge data will make your reporting stronger and provide you with objective evidence for evaluating hospitals' claims. Such data can also lead to new story threads. Here's a quick-start guide.

Sign-ups for insurance on the federal and state health exchanges end in less than a month, and the state's push to enroll more Latinos appears to be paying off. Meanwhile, safety net providers such as Clinica Sierra Vista are focused on both signing up and retaining patients.