Patients With Epilepsy Navigate Murky Unregulated CBD Industry
In 2013, Tonya Taylor was suicidal because her epileptic seizures persisted despite taking a long list of medications. Then a fellow patient at a Denver […]
Colorado
Colorado’s Efforts Are Not Enough to Solve Its Ozone Problem
A year after health officials issued a record number of alerts for high ozone levels on Colorado’s Front Range, federal and state officials are trying […]
Sheriffs Who Denounced Colorado’s Red Flag Law Are Now Using It
Dolores County Sheriff Don Wilson never expected to use Colorado’s red flag law when it was passed in 2019. He thought the law made it […]
Colorado pregnancy center fire investigated as arson
Colorado police and the FBI are investigating a fire at a pregnancy center early Saturday morning as arson after finding graffiti and threatening messages scrawled […]
Pesa el legado de Trump, mientras Colorado busca zanjar la brecha del seguro de salud hispano
Armando Peniche Rosales tiene un dedo del pie torcido, que durante años ha pronosticado el clima y se vuelve sensible cuando se avecina lluvia o […]
Trump’s Legacy Looms Large as Colorado Aims to Close the Hispanic Insurance Gap
Armando Peniche Rosales has a crooked toe that for years has predicted the weather, growing sensitive when rain or cold is coming. “It never healed […]
Grassroots Groups Lead Way on Closing Colorado’s Infant Mortality Gap
AURORA, Colo. — As Britney Taylor toured the Mama Bird Maternity Wellness Spa during its grand opening this spring, she reflected on the birth of […]
Despite a First-Ever ‘Right-to-Repair’ Law, There’s No Easy Fix for Wheelchair Users
Robin Bolduc isn’t the type of person who takes “no” for an answer — particularly when it comes to fixing her husband’s wheelchair. Her husband, […]
First human US case of bird flu strain detected in Colorado, CDC says health risk low
A man in Colorado has tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus, becoming the first person in the U.S. to have a confirmed human […]
Advance Care Planning for Guns: Owners Can Help Ensure Safe Use and Transfer of Weapons
Kerri Raissian didn’t know what to do about her father’s guns when he died of covid-19 in December at age 86 and left her executor […]
Physicians Are Uneasy as Colorado Collects Providers’ Diversity Data
Shaunti Meyer, a certified nurse-midwife and medical director at STRIDE Community Health Center in Colorado, doesn’t usually disclose her sexual orientation to patients. But at […]
Colorado Moves Toward Statewide Coverage of Wastewater Surveillance
On a Sunday morning in March 2020, right at the start of the pandemic, an article in Popular Mechanics caught engineer Pieter Van Ry’s eye. […]
The five states with the highest number of COVID-19 cases
The rate of new COVID-19 cases is at the lowest it’s been since last summer as the omicron wave subsides. As state governments have begun […]
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Finally, a Fix for the ‘Family Glitch’
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen on Acast. You can also listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you […]
Colorado Doubles Down on Abortion Rights as Other States — And the High Court — Reconsider
With the Supreme Court expected to overturn or severely weaken its landmark Roe v. Wade decision, clinics in Colorado are preparing for an increase in […]
Climate Change May Push the US Toward the ‘Goldilocks Zone’ for West Nile Virus
Michael Keasling of Lakewood, Colorado, was an electrician who loved big trucks, fast cars, and Harley-Davidsons. He’d struggled with diabetes since he was a teenager, […]
The Stress of Restaurant Work Is Reaching a Boiling Point. Could a Staff Therapist Help?
Restaurant jobs have always been difficult, but the mental stress has gotten worse during the pandemic as restaurants closed or cut hours — or became […]
As Politics Infects Public Health, Private Companies Profit
For some counties and cities that share a public health agency with other local governments, differences over mask mandates, business restrictions, and other covid preventive […]
Después de un aborto espontáneo, trabajadoras no tienen ni tiempo libre ni ayuda de las empresas
Durante tres años, Rachel Makkar dijo que prosperó en su trabajo como agente de bolsa y gestora de activos en J&B Building Company, en Colorado. […]
After Miscarriages, Workers Have Few Guarantees for Time Off or Job-Based Help
For three years, Rachel Makkar said, she thrived in her job as a broker and asset manager at J&B Building Co. in Colorado. She excelled […]
Wildfires and Omicron Prompt a Special Health Insurance Enrollment Period in Colorado
A wildfire displaced thousands of Coloradans just as the omicron surge began sweeping through the state, so health insurance was likely not on many people’s […]
Fire Closes Hospital and Displaces Staff as Colorado Battles Omicron
The Colorado wildfire that destroyed more than 1,000 homes last month has forced the temporary closure of a hospital and upended the lives of health […]
As Hospitals Fill Up, Paramedics Spend More Time Moving Patients, Less on Emergencies
GUNNISON, Colo. — The night after Thanksgiving, a small ambulance service that covers a huge swath of southwestern Colorado got a call that a patient […]
Seeking Refills: Aging Pharmacists Leave Drugstores Vacant in Rural America
Ted Billinger Jr. liked to joke that he would work until he died. That turned out to be prophetic. When Billinger died of a heart […]
Colorado Hospitals in ‘Critical Condition’ as State Weathers Another Surge
Harold Burch’s home has a spectacular view in Paonia, a rural part of Colorado’s Western Slope at the foot of Mount Lamborn. But the landscape […]
Con el fin de las licencias pagas por covid, empleados sienten la presión de ir a la oficina
Tanto economistas como expertos en salud pública dicen que la licencia por enfermedad con goce de sueldo es una herramienta esencial, tanto como las pruebas, […]
With Federal Covid Sick Leave Gone, Workers Feel Pressure to Show Up at Work
Economists and public health experts alike say paid sick leave is an essential tool — like testing, masks and vaccines — in the effort to […]
California Joins States Trying to Shorten Wait Times for Mental Health Care
When Greta Christina fell into a deep depression five years ago, she called up her therapist in San Francisco. She’d had a great connection with […]
Journalists Cover Issues From Pollution to Vaccines and the Spread of Covid in Hospitals
KHN freelancer Jim Robbins discussed unhealthy ozone levels in the West on KUNC’s “Colorado Edition” on Tuesday. Click here to hear Robbins on “Colorado Edition” […]
Por qué los piojos siguen acechando, a pesar del distanciamiento social
Una noche reciente, la familia Marker recibió en su casa a una mujer vestida de púrpura, con una actitud militar hacia la limpieza. Linda Holmes, […]
Schools, Pediatricians Look to Make Up Lost Ground on Non-Covid Vaccinations
WESTMINSTER, Colo. — Melissa Blatzer was determined to get her three children caught up on their routine immunizations on a recent Saturday morning at a […]
Western Boom Cities See Spike in Harmful Ozone
The reduction of harmful ground-level ozone across most of the U.S. over the past several decades has been an air pollution success story. But in […]
How Billing Turns a Routine Birth Into a High-Cost Emergency
Caitlin Wells Salerno knew that some mammals — like the golden-mantled ground squirrels she studies in the Rocky Mountains — invest an insane amount of […]
La pandemia obligó a mi esposa transgénero a pelear con nuestra aseguradora por las hormonas
GUNNISON, Colorado – Durante los últimos ocho años, mi esposa, Ky Hamilton, se ha sometido a una terapia hormonal que reafirma el género. Como mujer […]
Centros de órganos a pacientes de trasplantes: vacúnense contra covid o bajarán en la lista de espera
Un candidato a trasplante de riñón de Colorado que fue puesto en estado inactivo por no vacunarse contra covid-19 se ha convertido en el ejemplo […]
Journalists Examine Vaccination Rates Among Student Nurses and in Covid Hot Spots
Contributing writer and former KHN correspondent Michelle Andrews discussed difficulties in providing clinical training to student nurses who refuse to get vaccinated on CBS News […]
Organ Centers to Transplant Patients: Get a Covid Shot or Move Down on Waitlist
A Colorado kidney transplant candidate who was bumped to inactive status for failing to get a covid-19 vaccine has become the most public example of […]
The Pandemic Forced My Transgender Wife to Fight Our Insurer Over Hormones
GUNNISON, Colo. — For the past eight years, my wife, Ky Hamilton, has undergone gender-affirming hormone therapy. As a transgender woman, she injects Depo-Estradiol liquid […]
A Colorado Town Is About as Vaccinated as It Can Get. Covid Still Isn’t Over There.
San Juan County, Colorado, can boast that 99.9% of its eligible population has received at least one dose of covid-19 vaccine, putting it in the […]
The ‘Burn Scars’ of Wildfires Threaten the West’s Drinking Water
Colorado saw its worst fire season last year, with the three largest fires in state history and more than 600,000 acres burned. But some of […]
Bomberos en la línea de batalla se resisten a los mandatos de vacunación contra covid
El bombero de Kentucky Jimmy Adams vio de cerca los estragos de la pandemia de coronavirus cuando se desempeñó como paramédico ayudando a cuidar a […]
Firefighters on Front Lines, No Strangers to Risk, Push Back Against Covid Vaccine Mandates
Kentucky firefighter Jimmy Adams saw the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic when he served as a medic who helped care for the sick on medical […]
Colorado Clinic’s Prescription for Healthier Patients? Lawyers
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — In her 19 years of living with cerebral palsy, scoliosis and other ailments, Cynthia Enriquez De Santiago has endured about 60 […]
School or ‘Russian Roulette’? Amid Delta Variant and Lax Mask Rules, Some Parents See No Difference
The child had just started kindergarten. Or, as her mother called it, “Russian roulette.” That’s because her school district in Grand Junction, Colorado, experienced one […]
Pharmacies Face Extra Audit Burdens That Threaten Their Existence
The clock was about to strike midnight, and Scott Newman was desperately feeding pages into a scanner, trying to prevent thousands of dollars in prescription […]
Arizona, Colorado HIEs merge
CORHIO and Health Current, based in Colorado and Arizona respectively, have formed a new regional organization. Called Contexture, the organization aims to advance interoperability across […]
New Moms Latched On to Remote Breastfeeding Help. Will Demand Wane as Pandemic Fades?
Madison Cano knew she wanted to breastfeed her son, Theo. But breastfeeding was painful for her. The skin on her breasts was chafed and blistered […]
Bus Stop by Bus Stop, Denver-Area Officials Microtarget Vaccine Hesitancy
AURORA, Colo. — John Letson had seen too many apocalyptic movies to feel comfortable getting a covid-19 vaccine initially. “I was completely against it,” the […]
How a Doctor Breaks Norms to Treat Refugees and Recent Immigrants
AURORA, Colo. — Fatumo Osman, a 65-year-old Somali refugee who speaks limited English, was in a bind. She made too much money at a meal […]
Journalists’ Topics Range From Rural Pharmacy Deserts to Opioid Overdoses
KHN senior Colorado correspondent Markian Hawryluk discussed how a rural Colorado town is crowdsourcing ways to get prescription medicines delivered on KUNC’s “Colorado Edition” on […]
Fútbol, banderas y diversión: estrategias creativas para vacunar a los latinos en Colorado
Los tambores se escuchaban sin parar mientras los fanáticos de la selección mexicana de fútbol se reunían en Empower Field, en Mile High, para un […]
Fútbol, Flags and Fun: Getting Creative to Reach Unvaccinated Latinos in Colorado
Horns blared and drums pounded a constant beat as fans of the Mexican national soccer team gathered recently at Empower Field at Mile High in […]
Red State, Blue State, Twin Outbreak: Behind Wyoming and Colorado’s Anomalous Covid Spikes
WHEATLAND, Wyo. — Brandon Graves said covid-19 arrived in Wheatland the way new movies do in this High Plains farming town: months after hitting the […]
Delta Variant Surges in Colorado as the Bands Play On
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Dr. Rachel LaCount grasped a metal hoop at a playground and spun in circles with her 7-year-old son, turning the distant […]
How One Rural Town Without a Pharmacy Is Crowdsourcing to Get Meds
WALDEN, Colo. — The building that once housed the last drugstore in this town of fewer than 600 is now a barbecue restaurant, where pit […]
A Hospital Charged $722.50 to Push Medicine Through an IV. Twice.
Claire Lang-Ree was in a lab coat taking a college chemistry class remotely in the kitchen of her Colorado Springs, Colorado, home when a profound […]
Violent Colorado Arrest Puts Spotlight on How Police Treat Disabled People
Nearly a year after police officers in Loveland, Colorado, injured an elderly woman with dementia and then laughed at footage of her arrest, two of […]
Colorado Bill Aims to Give Farmworkers Easier Access to Medical Care
SAN LUIS VALLEY, Colo. — A woman with pregnancy complications needed permission from her boss to visit a doctor. Community health volunteers were turned away […]
KHN Journalist Combs for Clues on Covid’s Origins
California Healthline editor Arthur Allen discussed the investigation into the origins of the coronavirus on KPBS’ “Midday Edition” on Wednesday. Click here to hear Allen […]
Colorado Lawmakers Wage Multifront Assault on High Drug Costs
DENVER — Tired of waiting for federal action to reduce prescription drug costs, Colorado is acting on its own — even if it must do […]
Colorado Will Pay Hospitals to Close Expensive Free-Standing ERs
Colorado health officials so abhor the high costs associated with free-standing emergency rooms they’re offering to pay hospitals to shut the facilities down. This story […]
Seed Money: Black Entrepreneurs Hope Pandemic Gardening Boom Will Grow Healthier Eating
DENVER — Ietef Vita had planned to spend most of 2020 on the road, promoting “Biomimicz,” the album the rapper had released on his #plantbasedrecords […]
Riding Herd on Mental Health in Colorado Ranching Country
[Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is in a crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the […]
From Covid Coverage to ‘Public Option’ Plans, Journalists Delve Into Details
KHN senior correspondent Julie Appleby discussed changes in insurance coverage for covid-19 care on Newsy on Thursday. Click here to watch Appleby on Newsy Read […]
What a Difference a Year Makes in Colorado’s Case for a Public Option Plan
DENVER — Before the pandemic, Colorado looked set to become the second state to pass what’s known as a “public option” health insurance plan, which […]
‘Red Flag’ Gun Laws Get Another Look After Indiana, Colorado Shootings
On New Year’s Eve 2017, sheriff’s deputies in the Denver suburb of Highlands Ranch responded to a domestic disturbance. Before the night was over, four […]
From Rotten Teeth to Advanced Cancer, Patients Feel the Effects of Treatment Delays
With medical visits picking up again among patients vaccinated against covid-19, health providers are starting to see the consequences of a year of pandemic-delayed preventive […]
Snag a Vaccine Appointment, Then Face the Next Hurdle: How to Get There?
The airport says a lot about Cortez, Colorado: The single-engine planes that fly into its one-room airport seat nine passengers at most. The city of […]
Nosing In on Kids Who Had Covid and Lost Their Sense of Smell
Orange. Eucalyptus. Lavender. Peppermint. Doctors at Children’s Hospital Colorado and Seattle Children’s Hospital will use scents like these to treat children who lost their sense […]
Need Amid Plenty: Richest US Counties Are Overwhelmed by Surge in Child Hunger
Alexandra Sierra carried boxes of food to her kitchen counter, where her 7-year-old daughter, Rachell, stirred a pitcher of lemonade. This story also ran on […]
Indocumentados, esenciales pero excluidos del apoyo financiero por la pandemia
El hijo de Ana, de 9 años, fue el primero en presentar síntomas de covid en marzo pasado. Poco después, la inmigrante indocumentada de 37 […]
Without a Pandemic Safety Net, Immigrants Living in US Illegally Fall Through the Cracks
Ana’s 9-year-old son was the first in the family to come down with symptoms that looked like covid-19 last March. Soon after, the 37-year-old unauthorized […]
Journalists Explore Inefficiency and Inequities of Vaccine Rollout
KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber spoke about the covid-19 vaccine rollout for WAMU’s “1A” on Jan. 29. Click here to hear Weber on WAMU KHN […]
Covid-Certified Businesses Try to Woo Leery Patrons
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — On a sunny Saturday this month, Ruth Hatfield was sitting with a friend’s dog on a sidewalk bench in downtown Grand […]
At Colorado’s Rural Edges, Vaccines Help Assisted Living Homes Crack Open the Doors
Bingo is back in the dining room. In-person visits have returned, too, though with masks and plexiglass. The Haven Assisted Living Facility’s residents are even […]
Estados permiten contratar profesionales de salud extranjeros por la pandemia
Cuando los hospitales de todo el país luchan contra la nueva ola de la pandemia, no son camas ni ventiladores lo que escasean. Son las […]
Only a Smokescreen? Big Tobacco Stands Down as Colorado and Oregon Hike Cigarette Taxes
This story also ran on Fortune. It can be republished for free. Big Tobacco did something unusual in Marlboro Country last fall: It stood aside […]
Black Women Find Healing (But Sometimes Racism, Too) in the Outdoors
It would be the last hike of the season, Jessica Newton had excitedly posted on her social media platforms. With mild weather forecast and Colorado’s […]
As new coronavirus strain detected in two states, vaccines fall short
A new variant of SARS-Cov-2 thought to be more transmissible was discovered in Colorado’s eastern plains and San Diego, California. At the same time, federal […]
As new coronavirus strain detected in three states, vaccines fall short
A new variant of SARS-Cov-2 thought to be more transmissible was discovered in Colorado’s eastern plains and San Diego, California. At the same time, federal […]
Live Free or Die if You Must, Say Colorado Urbanites — But Not in My Hospital
ERIE, Colo. — Whenever Larry Kelderman looks up from the car he’s fixing and peers across the street, he’s looking across a border. His town […]
At Risk of Extinction, Black-Footed Ferrets Get Experimental COVID Vaccine
In late summer, as researchers accelerated the first clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines for humans, a group of scientists in Colorado worked to inoculate a […]
Ski Resorts Work to Stay Open as COVID Cases Snowball
TELLURIDE, Colo. — The day after Thanksgiving, Dr. Jana Eller and Dr. Shiraz Naqvi were seated beside an outdoor fire pit at the base of […]
KHN on the Air This Week
KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber discussed how the COVID-19 backlash undermines public health on Newsy on Thursday. Click here to watch Weber on Newsy Read […]
This Health Care Magnate Wants to Fix Democracy, Starting in Colorado
In the final weeks before the Nov. 3 election, supporters of a down-in-the-weeds effort to overturn a tax law in Colorado received a cascade of […]
Tracking COVID’s Spread Inside a Tight-Knit Latino Community
Early in the pandemic, Ximena Rebolledo León, a registered nurse at Telluride Regional Medical Center in southwestern Colorado, needed to find everyone who’d been in […]
What Happened When the Only ER Doctor in a Rural Town Got COVID
Kurt Papenfus, a doctor in Cheyenne Wells, Colorado, started to feel sick around Halloween. He developed a scary cough, intestinal symptoms and a headache. In […]
Need a COVID-19 Nurse? That’ll Be $8,000 a Week
DENVER — In March, Claire Tripeny was watching her dream job fall apart. She’d been working as an intensive care nurse at St. Anthony Hospital […]
Trump’s Lame-Duck Status Leaves Governors to Wing It on COVID
Not long after the world learned that President Donald Trump had lost his reelection bid, states began issuing a new round of crackdowns and emergency […]
People Proving to Be Weakest Link for Apps Tracking COVID Exposure
The app builders had planned for pranksters, ensuring that only people with verified COVID-19 cases could trigger an alert. They’d planned for heavy criticism about […]
Push Is On in US to Figure Out South Asians’ High Heart Risks
For years, Sharad Acharya’s frequent hikes in the mountains outside Denver would leave him short of breath. But a real wake-up call came three years […]
Sin presidente todavía, el futuro de la salud también sigue siendo incierto
Sin un ganador y sin saber todavía qué partido controlará el Senado, el futuro del sistema de salud de la nación también sigue siendo incierto. […]
No Winner for President Yet and Health Care Hangs in the Balance
With the winner of the presidency and party control of the Senate still unclear the morning after Election Day, the future of the nation’s health […]
The Best COVID Warning System? Poop and Pooled Spit, Says One Colorado School
Carol Wilusz’s mornings now often start at 4 a.m., scanning the contents of undergraduates’ feces. Specifically, scanning the data on how much coronavirus they flushed […]
KHN on the Air This Week
KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner discussed the current surge in COVID-19 cases, health policy in the election and the Affordable Care Act case before […]
Colorado Initiative Would Further Limit Access in Middle America’s ‘Abortion Desert’
Colorado voters are deciding a ballot question that seeks to limit how far into pregnancy an abortion can be legally performed. While the measure would […]
Aunque preferiría cerrar, la cadena de tiendas COVID-19 Essentials se expande
Lone Tree, Colorado.- Darcy Velásquez, de 42 años, y su madre, Roberta Truax, caminaban recientemente por el centro comercial Park Meadows, 15 millas al sur […]
Distrusting Trump, States Plan to Vet COVID Vaccines Themselves. Bad Idea, Say Experts.
As trust in the Food and Drug Administration wavers, several states have vowed to conduct independent reviews of any COVID-19 vaccine the federal agency authorizes. […]
Not Pandemic-Proof: Insulin Copay Caps Fall Short, Fueling Underground Exchanges
DENVER — D.j. Mattern had her Type 1 diabetes under control until COVID’s economic upheaval cost her husband his hotel maintenance job and their health […]
Opposition to Obamacare Becomes Political Liability for GOP Incumbents
In the 2014 elections, Republicans rode a wave of anti-Affordable Care Act sentiment to pick up nine Senate seats, the largest gain for either party […]
Veteran’s Appendectomy Launches Excruciating Months-Long Battle Over Bill
In late August 2019, Shannon Harness awoke to serious pain in the lower right side of his abdomen — a telltale sign of appendicitis. He […]
COVID Plans Put to Test as Firefighters Crowd Camps for Peak Wildfire Season
HELENA, Mont. — Jon Paul was leery entering his first wildfire camp of the year late last month to fight three lightning-caused fires scorching parts […]
Namaste Noir: Yoga Co-Op Seeks to Diversify Yoga to Heal Racialized Trauma
DENVER — Beverly Grant spent years juggling many roles before yoga helped her restore her balance. When not doting over her three children, she hosted […]
Where Mask-Wearing Isn’t Gospel: Colorado Churches Grapple With Reopening
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The lights dimmed. Guitars thrummed. And a nine-piece band kicked off what amounted to a rock concert inside an amphitheater of […]
Listen: Outbreak of Trench Fever Grips Coloradans
KHN senior correspondent Markian Hawryluk joined KUNC’s Henry Zimmerman on “Colorado Edition” to discuss his recent story about an outbreak of trench fever, a rare […]
Ever Heard of a Surgical Assistant? Meet a New Boost to Your Medical Bills
Izzy Benasso was playing a casual game of tennis with her father on a summer Saturday when she felt her knee pop. She had torn […]
Listen: Colorado Cuts Back Health Care Programs Amid Dual Crises
KHN senior correspondent Markian Hawryluk joined KUNC’s Erin O’Toole on “Colorado Edition” to discuss his recent story on how Colorado is one of the many […]
