Health

Children's University Hospital. Black doctor in scrubs washing hands.
N. Jamiyla Chisholm  Nov 14, 2019 3:02PM EST

READ: How a Black Father Navigates the Health Care System

From the three-hour wait to the doctor who suggests that his 12-year-old son has syphilis, it’s a troubling journey.
industrial plant releases pollutants into the air next to a waterway
Ayana Byrd  Nov 12, 2019 4:30PM EST

EPA Seeks to Ban Some Scientific Studies in Creation of Public Health Regulations

Health advocates warn there will be an increase in air pollution and unsafe water.
coal plants spewing smoke into the sky
Ayana Byrd  Nov 5, 2019 1:40PM EST

New EPA Rules Will Allow More Coal Plants to Contaminate Fresh Water Supplies

Environmental activists warn that million of Americans—and a disproportionate number of people of color—will be affected.
Small children and their mothers stand in front of an officer who has a gun in his holster
Shani Saxon  Nov 4, 2019 5:46PM EST

Judge Blocks Rule Requiring Immigrants to Have Health Insurance to Secure Visas

“The ban would separate families and cut two-thirds of green-card-based immigration.”
women in support of abortion rights holding pink, purple and white protest signs on Capitol Hill
Ayana Byrd  Oct 30, 2019 2:58PM EDT

Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Alabama's Restrictive Abortion Law

If it had gone into effect, abortion would have been illegal from the moment of conception.
A Black female doctor examines a young Black boy
Ayana Byrd  Oct 28, 2019 1:20PM EDT

STUDY: Widely Used Medical Software Says Black Patients Don't Need Same Level of Care as White Patients

More racism.
a scientist with brown hands stands in front of a blue table covered with blood samples and vials
Ayana Byrd  Oct 23, 2019 2:04PM EDT

STUDY: Black Scientists Less Likely to Win Federal Funding For Research

Grant applications that include the words “socioeconomic,” “disparity” and “reproductive” are the least likely to win funding from the National Institutes of Health.
Black person in hospital gown standing in front of chemotherapy station
Ayana Byrd  Oct 22, 2019 11:35AM EDT

Why Is Endometrial Cancer Killing Black Women?

“We are not going to help women, and we are not going to solve this problem, if we don’t deal with the problem of race and racism.”
A Black person's hand pouring bottled water into a coffee maker
Ayana Byrd  Oct 21, 2019 4:13PM EDT

READ: Five Environmental Justice Activists On The Roots and Future of The Movement

Mustafa Ali, Dr. Robert Bullard and other key figures in environmental justice explore why their fight is a critical one.
Pramila Jayapal. South Asian American woman wears a pink blazer as she speaks before a crowd and stands behind a podium that has a red and white sign attached that reads: IMPEACH.
 Oct 16, 2019 5:04PM EDT

Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Deb Haaland Introduce Bill to Give Immigrants Access to Health Care

More than 120 organizations endorsed the Health Equity and Access Under the Law for Immigrant Women and Families (HEAL) Act.
Two Black hands with one holding a blue pill
Ayana Byrd  Oct 9, 2019 2:21PM EDT

ICYMI: FDA Approves HIV Prevention Drug That Isn't Safety Tested for All

The Food and Drug Administration says that safety trials for Descovy primarily tested White cisgender men.
White and yellow sign reads "Danger: Radiation Risk" against a blue sky, silver chainlink fence and rusted barbed wire
N. Jamiyla Chisholm  Oct 8, 2019 5:43PM EDT

Research Reveals High Levels of Radiation in Navajo Women Stemming From Cold War

“Thousands of abandoned uranium mines dot the Western landscape, hundreds on the Navajo Nation alone, continuing to expose families to the ill effects of radiation, including kidney failure and cancer.”
Protesters hold signs in support of abortion rights outside of Supreme Court.
Ayana Byrd  Oct 7, 2019 1:32PM EDT

SCOTUS To Hear Case That Could Dismantle Roe v. Wade

“Access to abortion is hanging by a thread in this country, and this case is what could snap that thread.”
Pink and white sign in support of abortion rights held outside Old Courthouse in St. Louis, Missouri
Ayana Byrd  Oct 2, 2019 5:43PM EDT

Planned Parenthood Covertly Opens Clinic to Provide Care for Missourians

The 18,000-square foot facility is located in Illinois—just 13 miles from Missouri’s lone abortion clinic, which is currently under fire.
Signs in support of abortion rights hang on a metal fence
Ayana Byrd  Oct 1, 2019 1:42PM EDT

New Poll Shows Most Americans Back Federal Funding of Abortion

Support is highest among women of color and people who live in abortion battleground states.
Two white water fountains on white tiled walls with signs warning people not to drink from them
Ayana Byrd  Sep 30, 2019 3:25PM EDT

Study Finds Race is Primary Factor in Enforcement of Safe Drinking Water Act

Flint and Newark are just two of the many cities where the race of residents is tied to poor regulation of water safety.
A multiracial group of women hold up a colorful sign that says, “Reproductive Freedom!”
Jessica González-Rojas, Marcela Howell, Sung Yeon Choimorrow  Sep 30, 2019 12:29PM EDT

It's High Time We End Hyde If We Are Serious About Racial Justice [Op-Ed]

The Hyde Amendment blocks women from using federal funds such as Medicaid to end unwanted pregnancies. On this 43rd anniversary of a rule that places undue burden on women of color, we say enough is enough.
Fire department official stands with cases of bottled water in Newark, New Jersey
Ayana Byrd  Sep 24, 2019 1:33PM EDT

Newark Sees Preliminary Decrease in Water Lead Levels

The latest results show that water filters are finally working in most of the tested homes.
a button about insulin availability pinned to a blue suit jacket
Ayana Byrd  Sep 23, 2019 3:13PM EDT

Rising Insulin Prices Put Diabetics In Danger

African-American, Latinx and Asian-American diabetics are hardest hit by the skyrocketing costs.
Bald Black woman smiling holding Black newborn.
N. Jamiyla Chisholm  Sep 20, 2019 4:04PM EDT

Good News: Fewer Black People Are Dying From Cancer

But the American Association of Cancer Research says deadly health disparities remain.