Jul 2 Health Masking Questions: How Pandemic Health Measures Became Politicized Health officials and researchers say the science is clear: face masks can help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Yet in the Ohio Valley, not all elected officials are in agreement on whether to mandate measures such as the use of face masks in public places. In April, Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine initially announced […] By Liam Niemeyer Jul 2 Health Masking Questions: How Pandemic Health Measures Became Politicized Liam Niemeyer
Jul 2 Health Overdose Incidents Rose Sharply Around Ohio Valley During Pandemic Emergency response data from across the Ohio Valley show sharp increases in suspected drug overdoses since March, when health measures including school and business closures and stay-at-home orders increased social isolation. For public health officials, it’s a grim reminder that another epidemic is ongoing and possibly worsening during the isolation associated with the coronavirus pandemic. […] By Aaron Payne Jul 2 Health Overdose Incidents Rose Sharply Around Ohio Valley During Pandemic Aaron Payne
Jun 12 Health These Three Factors Are Driving Many COVID-19 Outbreaks In Rural Communities As the economies of the Ohio Valley gradually reopen from the pandemic closures, state officials are still reporting hundreds of coronavirus cases each day in the region. In Kentucky, coronavirus cases are again on the rise, with a week-long average of daily cases approaching the highest level yet. Public health officials are concerned about a […] By Liam Niemeyer Jun 12 Health These Three Factors Are Driving Many COVID-19 Outbreaks In Rural Communities Liam Niemeyer
Jun 9 Health Appalachian Program Feeds Families As The Pandemic Economy Places More In Need It’s a sweltering hot Monday in Whitesburg, Kentucky, and the kitchen at Community Agricultural Nutritional Enterprises, or CANE, is buzzing with activity. In an industrial kitchen that was once a high school cafeteria, Brandon Fleming is chopping onions and sliding them into a massive aluminum tray of beans. Once the beans are in the oven, […] By Sydney Boles Jun 9 Health Appalachian Program Feeds Families As The Pandemic Economy Places More In Need Sydney Boles
May 28 Health Questions And Anxiety Mount Over COVID-19 Workplace Safety As More Businesses Reopen Gail Fleck is a school cafeteria worker in the greater Cincinnati area and lives with her 90-year-old father. She loves her job because she gets to work with kids. But she is worried she won’t be able to keep her dad safe if her work exposes her to the coronavirus and she unknowingly brings it […] By Becca Schimmel May 28 Health Questions And Anxiety Mount Over COVID-19 Workplace Safety As More Businesses Reopen Becca Schimmel
May 22 Health Pandemic Could Make Food Insecurity Worse Among Older Adults In Ohio Valley A new study shows the Ohio Valley has some of the nation’s highest rates of food insecurity among older adults, and anti-hunger advocates say that situation could be made worse by the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The annual study was published May 21 in partnership with researchers from the University of Kentucky, researchers […] By Liam Niemeyer May 22 Health Pandemic Could Make Food Insecurity Worse Among Older Adults In Ohio Valley Liam Niemeyer
May 20 Health Rural Ohio Valley Counties Lack Sufficient Coronavirus Tests, Report Says Just 15 percent of Kentucky counties meet minimum recommended coronavirus testing levels, according to a new report from health care company Castlight. Sixty-seven percent of West Virginia counties and 31 percent of Ohio counties met the threshold. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that states have the capacity to test 1 percent of […] By Sydney Boles May 20 Health Rural Ohio Valley Counties Lack Sufficient Coronavirus Tests, Report Says Sydney Boles
May 12 Health “Will It Be Enough?”: Meatpacking Workers Fear For Safety As Coronavirus Cases Mount It’s the uncertainty that gets to Darlene Davis. The uncertainty of when she’ll see her 87-year-old mother in person again. The uncertainty of her co-workers’ health. The uncertainty that comes with the novel coronavirus. When a co-worker of hers at the JBS Swift meatpacking plant in Louisville died from COVID-19, she said that uncertainty turned […] By Liam Niemeyer May 12 Health “Will It Be Enough?”: Meatpacking Workers Fear For Safety As Coronavirus Cases Mount Liam Niemeyer
May 7 Health Are Ohio Valley States Ready To Reopen? Analysis Finds More Coronavirus Testing Needed An analysis by Harvard scientists and NPR finds that most states — including Kentucky and Ohio — are not testing enough residents for coronavirus in order to meet recommended benchmarks to safely begin to reopen their economies. That analysis by Harvard’s Global Health Institute found that West Virginia is roughly meeting the minimum targets for […] By Jeff Young and Becca Schimmel May 7 Health Are Ohio Valley States Ready To Reopen? Analysis Finds More Coronavirus Testing Needed Jeff Young and Becca Schimmel