Anna’s Recent Stories
Health Jun 21
How nurses are fighting the war against sepsisHospitals are training a new breed of nurses who are devoted to caring for patients with sepsis, a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body’s attempt to fight an infection causes widespread inflammation.
Health Apr 14
In remote Idaho, a tiny medical center charts a path for stressed rural hospitalsNot so long ago, providing high-level care seemed impossible at Lost Rivers Medical Center. Now, the rural facility is innovating faster than many urban hospitals in Idaho.
Health Mar 05
Spike in syphilis among newborns driven by broader epidemicThe Central Valley — a vast agricultural and mostly low-income swath of California — has seen an unprecedented spike in congenital syphilis over the last few years.
Health Dec 07
Free mental health clinics open to veterans tired of long wait timesOver the past three years, the sprawling VA system has come under fire from Congress and the media because veterans were waiting too long to see a doctor. Now, a new chain of free mental health clinics for vets has…
Health Dec 05
In California, Planned Parenthood girds for potential defunding under TrumpPresident-elect Donald Trump has pledged to defund Planned Parenthood, to appoint conservative Supreme Court justices who could overturn Roe v. Wade and to prohibit late-term abortions. Kathy Kneer, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, answered some questions…
Nation Oct 18
LGBTQ seniors face discrimination in long-term careThere are an estimated 1.5 million gay, lesbian and bisexual people over 65 living in the U.S. currently, and that number is expected to double by 2030.
Health Oct 04
What happens when someone has ‘treatment-resistant depression’?LOS ANGELES — Rini Kramer-Carter has tried everything to pull herself out of her dark emotional hole: individual therapy, support groups, tai chi and numerous antidepressants.
Health Aug 30
Has overmedicating seniors become ‘America’s other drug problem’?An increasing number of elderly patients nationwide are on multiple medications to treat chronic diseases, raising their chances of dangerous drug interactions and serious side effects. Often the drugs are prescribed by different specialists who don’t communicate with each other.
Health Aug 11
Teaching in-home caregivers seems to pay off, report saysLow-income Californians who are elderly and disabled were less likely to go to the emergency room or be hospitalized after their in-home caregivers participated in an intensive training program, according to a report.
Health Aug 09
For elderly patients, hospital stays often worsen disabilitiesAbout one-third of patients over 70 years old and more than half of patients over 85 leave the hospital more disabled than when they arrived, research shows.
