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Public swimming pools, by the numbers

Sep 18, 2023
Public pools are more of a bellwether for racial and economic inequality than you might think. We break down the numbers.
Despite hot temperatures, some pools were closed this summer due to staffing shortages or repairs.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

How a combination of COVID lawsuits and media coverage keeps misinformation churning

Jul 14, 2023
Even as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, litigation — whether about vaccines, masks or a range of other public health policies made during the pandemic — isn’t about to end.
People protest against COVID-19 mandates in September 2021 in New York City. Even as the pandemic wanes, COVID litigation is far from over.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Why Tennessee is turning down millions of federal dollars for HIV prevention

Feb 3, 2023
State officials said they will instead use state funds they can control, including cutting out organizations tied to abortion care.
State officials spurned around $8 million in federal funding, saying they will instead use state funds that can be directly controlled — and denied to organizations like Planned Parenthood.
Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images

With overuse of antibiotics, superbugs continue to evolve

Dec 14, 2022
As antibiotics are overused and misused, superbugs keep evolving.
Bottles of antibiotics line a shelf at a Florida pharmacy in August 2007. In the U.S., there are nearly 3 million antibiotic resistant infections each year.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

What happens once federal funding to fight COVID ends?

Aug 31, 2022
FDA approved updated boosters Wednesday. The feds have helped cover costs of vaccination and testing as well as public awareness drives.
As funding for COVID dwindles, some communities have reduced outreach and closed some testing and vaccination sites.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP

The Biden administration is extending the public health emergency. Here's what that means.

May 17, 2022
The original declaration of January 2020 changed the health care landscape.
COVID tests and vaccines are free of charge as a result of the public health emergency declaration in 2020.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

COVID testing's rocky start led to long lines, limited access today

Dec 22, 2021
Economists say testing is key to fighting the pandemic and restoring the economy.
Manufacturers of COVID test kits have been uncertain about their market, and production has been erratic.
Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Why addressing economic inequality could help build pandemic resiliency

Nov 1, 2021
“Our health is all interconnected and inextricable from the conditions in which we live,” says epidemiologist Dr. Sandro Galea.
 “Most of “health” is about where we live, where we work, where we play,” says public health expert Dr. Sandro Galea. Above, a doctor puts on a mask before speaking to people without homes in San Francisco in 2020.
Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

Why public health and the economy are inextricably linked

Aug 12, 2021
Read an excerpt from a new book by emergency room physician and former Baltimore Health commissioner Dr. Leana Wen.
“Public health is housing. It’s food. It’s clean air. It’s education,” writes former Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen in her new book. “It’s the social supports that give everyone their best chance to survive.”
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

To encourage vaccinations, Georgia county calls on moms

Jul 7, 2021
A large, diverse county is betting local mothers can help it reduce hesitancy about the COVID-19 vaccine and boost inoculation rates.
A film crew monitors a shot of Normica Provitt discussing her decision to get vaccinated against COVID-19. She’s one of the moms featured in a county ad campaign.
Sam Whitehead