A series of seven suicides within California’s Yurok Tribe in 2015 prompted the tribe to declare a state of emergency. In reporting on the aftermath, reporter Ryan Burns found himself facing some big challenges.
Community & Public Health
KUNM’s Ed Williams has been investigating the impacts of heroin addiction on children and families in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. The area has had one of the country’s highest overdose rates for decades. Here he takes a deep look at the issue in an hour-long radio documentary.
When kids are at high risk for addiction, a good public school system can be one of the most effective ways to prevent drug use. In Española public schools, teacher turnover and administrative problems have instead created instability for students.
Research shows early childhood education is one of the most effective ways to prevent drug use later in life. That’s especially important in New Mexico's Rio Arriba County, where an opioid epidemic has been raging for decades.
Española, New Mexico, has had one of the highest rates of heroin addiction in the country for decades. It’s a public health crisis that can create particular challenges for pregnant moms and their doctors.
After their daughter ended up with Tay-Sachs disease due to a lack of genetic screening, two fathers started pushing for change. They ended up creating the world’s largest funding organization for Tay-Sachs research.
When it comes to vaccines, the ongoing struggle against unsubstantiated fringe theories can eclipse other valid concerns about the frequency and type of vaccines doctors prescribe.
Like many middle-class Americans who do not qualify for ACA subsidies, Mike Pirner saw his health expenses rise under the law, causing him to forestall seeking care.
Jourdan Harris was one of 613 Indiana babies who died before their first birthdays in 2015. The state has the eighth-highest rate of infant deaths in the nation. Many are preventable.
For many with pre-existing conditions, the prospect of an ACA repeal evokes fear of a return to high-risk pools. This is one in a series of four perspectives on the impact of Obamacare.