Side Effects Public Media

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We're a health news initiative exploring the impacts of place, policy and economics on America's health. Our reporting sheds light on root causes of community-wide health problems—from chronic disease, to mental health and addiction, to infant mortality—and on new efforts to solve them.

We are headquartered at WFYI Public Media in Indianapolis, and work in partnership with KBIA in Columbia, Missouri; St. Louis Public Radio; Illinois Public Media in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois; WNIN in Evansville, Indiana; and WOSU Public Media, in Columbus, Ohio. We also work with contributing reporters from other public radio stations around the Midwest and Great Lakes regions. We're intent on telling stories from under-covered communities and hidden-away places.

Series

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3 Pieces

In rural America, older people face more health issues, like chronic illness, mental illness and complications from loneliness and isolation. This series looks into those issues in rural Kentucky.

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0 Pieces

An unusual court in Columbus, Ohio, offers a therapeutic approach instead of a punitive one to sex workers. In this two-part series, we hear the story of Stephanie Rollins' recovery from two decades of addiction and sex work, and the judge who offered her a new path for her life.

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4 Pieces

This series explores the health needs and concerns of foster children.

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2 Pieces

In 2007, 12,000 inmates with mental illness sued the Illinois Department of Corrections, alleging the agency punishes inmates with mental illness instead of properly treating them. A settlement was reached in 2016, when the state agreed to revamp mental health care and provide better treatment. But a federal judge has ruled that care remains “grossly insufficient” and “extremely poor.”

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4 Pieces

In the grips of an opioid addiction epidemic, many communities are increasing efforts to prevent overdose or stem the easy access to drugs. Meanwhile, long-term recovery for many people struggling with drug or alcohol addiction remains elusive. Despite advances, addiction has strikingly high relapse rates. This series explores obstacles that hold people back from treatment and new approaches to care that can help people stay well in the long term

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3 Pieces

Sick is a podcast about the things that can happen to our bodies—and how we respond.

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50 Pieces

Our health journalism collaborative explores the impacts of place, policy and economics on Americans' health.

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5 Pieces

Personal experiences of people in recovery shared at a live storytelling event in Indianapolis.


Pieces

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Across most of the U.S., teaching hospitals allow medical students to conduct pelvic exams on female patients without their knowledge or explicit c...

Bought by WAMC Northeast Public Radio


  • Added: Jan 10, 2019
  • Length: 03:28
  • Purchases: 1
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For people with disabilities like autism, watching a play -- with bright lights and loud noises -- can be daunting. Now an Indianapolis theater is...

  • Added: Dec 28, 2018
  • Length: 03:50
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We’re told that this is the most wonderful time of the year. But for those who’ve lost a loved one, the holidays can worsen feelings of grief. Side...

  • Added: Dec 20, 2018
  • Length: 03:43
Caption: Brandon Dreiman, Credit: Lauren Bavis, Side Effects Public Media
First responders like firefighter Brandon Dreiman face barriers when it comes to getting treatment for mental health and addiction. He coped with t...

  • Added: Dec 17, 2018
  • Length: 03:31
Caption: Kelsey Phillips, Credit: Lauren Bavis, Side Effects Public Media
Kelsey Phillips, who has been in recovery since 2013, now works with women who are just entering recovery. Women who, like her, had children born a...

Bought by WAMC Northeast Public Radio


  • Added: Dec 17, 2018
  • Length: 04:01
  • Purchases: 1
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James, who asked to only be identified by his middle name, tried Oxycontin for the first time when he was in college. Now in recovery, he works as ...

  • Added: Dec 17, 2018
  • Length: 03:59
Caption: Dwight Fortune, Credit: Lauren Bavis, Side Effects Public Media
Dwight Fortune acknowledges that his story isn't the typical one of someone who ends up in prison after years struggling with addiction. Now, he us...

Bought by WYSO


  • Added: Dec 17, 2018
  • Length: 04:03
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Nathan Boyer, Credit: Lauren Bavis, Side Effects Public Media
People in addiction recovery will sometimes talk about a "moment of clarity" that lead to their sobriety. For 48-year-old Nathan Boyer, that moment...

Bought by WYSO


  • Added: Dec 17, 2018
  • Length: 03:57
  • Purchases: 1
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For years, Missouri's Bootheel region has only had one full time OB/GYN. That's despite having the worst birth outcomes in the state and one of the...

Bought by WAMC Northeast Public Radio


  • Added: May 22, 2018
  • Length: 03:33
  • Purchases: 1
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The majority of states have medical cannabis laws that allow cancer patients access. And a new study finds nearly half of all oncologists recommend...

  • Added: May 11, 2018
  • Length: :46