Side Effects News

Series produced by Side Effects Public Media

Series image
Image by: Jake Harper 

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

Our health journalism collaborative explores the impacts of place, policy and economics on Americans' health. We're exploring the root causes of community-wide health problems--from chronic disease, mental to behavioral health to infant mortality—and on new research and initiatives working to prevent and solve these problems.


50 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Impending Ban on Herbal Painkiller Could Hamper Research
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
Piece image
Kratom, an herbal supplement used by some to manage pain and opioid withdrawal, is expected to be made a schedule 1 drug by the DEA at the end of S...

Bought by 90.1 WFYI Public Radio and WXXI Rochester


  • Added: Sep 28, 2016
  • Length: 03:36
  • Purchases: 2
The Rise in Food Allergies is Changing the Work of School Nurses
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
Piece image
Nationally, the rate of food allergies in school children went up 50 percent between 1997 and 2011. But in some states, like Missouri, the document...

Bought by 90.1 WFYI Public Radio, KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio, and WAMC Northeast Public Radio


  • Added: Oct 25, 2016
  • Length: 03:26
  • Purchases: 3
On The Ballot In Indianapolis And Across The U.S., Can Expanding Transit Improve Public Health?
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
Piece image
A ballot initiative asks voters to support an income tax increase to fund more frequent bus service, which proponents argue will get more people ri...

Bought by WNIN and WBST


  • Added: Nov 03, 2016
  • Length: 03:16
  • Purchases: 2
Breast Milk Bank Resurgence Helps Premature Babies, But Who Will Pay?
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
Caption: A 100 ml bottle of pasteurized, donated breast milk at the new non-profit milk bank in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY. These cost $15 each., Credit: Karen Shakerdge
There's a reason donor milk is called "liquid gold" -- the fluid can make a big difference to premature babies with underdeveloped digestive system...

Bought by WAMC Northeast Public Radio


  • Added: Nov 04, 2016
  • Length: 06:24
  • Purchases: 1
In New York, State Laws May Protect Some Components of Obamacare From Possible Repeal
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
Caption: David Hutchinson, 52, got health insurance for the first time in his life about a year ago.
New Yorkers may not be affected by some of these anticipated federal changes because of policies in place at the state level. In some ways, the Aff...

Bought by KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio


  • Added: Dec 07, 2016
  • Length: 03:45
  • Purchases: 1
Rise In Mumps Cases Has Some Public Health Officials Asking Questions
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
Piece image
A mumps outbreak at the University of Missouri and throughout the state of Arkansas has some public health officials asking questions about the eff...

Bought by KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio and 90.1 WFYI Public Radio


  • Added: Dec 13, 2016
  • Length: 03:25
  • Purchases: 2
Transgender Americans Change Names, Passports Ahead Of Trump Administration
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
Caption: A Rochester native sits on his porch right before going to a name and gender change legal clinic hosted by the Empire Justice Center., Credit: Karen Shakerdge
Ahead of a new Trump administration, many transgender people worry about policy changes affecting their ability to legally change name and gender, ...

Bought by WAMC Northeast Public Radio, 90.1 WFYI Public Radio, and KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio


  • Added: Dec 14, 2016
  • Length: 03:39
  • Purchases: 3
Indiana’s Model For Medicaid Could Spread—But It’s Not Working For Everyone
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
Caption: Allen Wilson, 59, says he has debt collectors calling him over bills that should have been paid by Anthem, his former HIP 2.0 insurer., Credit: Jake Harper / Side Effects
Expanding Medicaid to cover more low-income Americans was a major component of the Affordable Care Act, and under then-Governor Mike Pence, Seema V...

Bought by WNIN


  • Added: Jan 10, 2017
  • Length: 03:38
  • Purchases: 1
Medical Memberships Fill Some Gaps When People Can't Afford Insurance
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
Caption: Joe Morris and Sean O'Hara both say that without the Direct Primary Care clinic in their town, they could not afford to get medical care. , Credit: Rebecca Smith
An alternative medical model called Direct Primary Care is helping some rural Missourians access at least basic medical care.

Bought by 90.1 WFYI Public Radio and KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio


  • Added: Jan 31, 2017
  • Length: 03:28
  • Purchases: 2
A 'Gray Market' For Diabetes Supplies Highlights The Cost of Care
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
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America’s 21 million diabetics spend close to $4 billion dollars every year on test strips. Because of their high price, though — a single strip ca...

Bought by KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio and 90.1 WFYI Public Radio


  • Added: Jan 31, 2017
  • Length: 03:22
  • Purchases: 2
GOP Health Care Bill Would Hit Rural America Hard
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
Caption: Darvin Bentlage, a cattle farmer in Barton County, Mo., was uninusred before the ACA and worries he could be again under the GOP replacement plan., Credit: Screenshot/Department of Health and Human Services
The Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act would change health care in many ways. And rural communities have a lot on the line. Reporte...

Bought by KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio


  • Added: Mar 21, 2017
  • Length: 03:34
  • Purchases: 1
For Rural Hospitals Already on the Brink, GOP’s Proposed Medicaid Cuts Would Hit Hard
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
Piece image
Under the GOP health plan, 14 million fewer Americans would be insured through Medicaid over the next 10 years. That’s a problem for small rural ho...

  • Added: Jun 19, 2017
  • Length: 03:18
For Rape Survivors, Specially-Trained Nurses Offer A Bridge To Justice
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
Caption: A rape kit (pictured) is used to collect evidence after a sexual assault. How well the kit is completed matters in a prosecution., Credit: Esther Honig/Side Effects Public Media
In Ohio, sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE nurses) can help administer rape kits to victims and bring perpetrators to justice. But in rural area...

Bought by WRST-FM Oshkosh and WAMC Northeast Public Radio


  • Added: Jun 20, 2017
  • Length: 03:37
  • Purchases: 2
18,000 Could Lose Health Coverage In Missouri’s ‘Bare Counties’ As State Faces Tough Choices
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
Caption: Tony Twitty, a St. Louis mechanic, purchased coverage for himself and his son on Healthcare.gov. He told St. Louis Public Radio last year that before the Affordable Care Act, buying coverage on his own was unaffordable., Credit: Durrie Bouscaren
Across the country, the clock is ticking down on filing deadlines for companies who want to offer plans on the healthcare.gov marketplace. Several ...

  • Added: Jun 21, 2017
  • Length: 04:13
Kentucky Bet On Medicaid Expansion Under Obamacare. Now It Has A Lot To Lose
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
Caption: Cara Stewart and Emily Beauregard, Credit: Sam Horton/Side Effects
As Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell works to drum up votes for his health care bill in Congress, people in his home state worry about what they cou...

  • Added: Jun 28, 2017
  • Length: 03:26
Smoking Rates Remain High In Low-Income Neighborhoods With Easy Access To Cigarettes
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
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A new study finds where there are dense clusters of tobacco retailers, there’s a higher rate of smoking. Those clusters are mostly in lower-income ...

  • Added: Jun 29, 2017
  • Length: 03:42
To Survive, Rural Hospitals Need To Grow—But The Demographics Don’t Add Up
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
Caption: Earl Bullington, advisor for Focus Bank, which rescued the struggling Pemiscot County hospital in 2013. The pictures on his wall depict the farmland in Pemiscot County, Missouri., Credit: Bram Sable-Smith/Side Effects Public Media
Dwindling populations put hospitals in rural areas in a catch-22 situation. Their communities rely on the institutions, but aren’t big enough to su...

  • Added: Jul 19, 2017
  • Length: 03:33
Moms-To-Be With Addiction Face Obstacles At Every Turn
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
Piece image
Insurance companies set rules that sometime make patients go for days without opioid addiction medicine. These rules are especially tough on pregna...

Bought by WAMC Northeast Public Radio


  • Added: Jul 26, 2017
  • Length: 03:30
  • Purchases: 1
Afraid To Treat Pregnant Women, Doctors Drop Addicted Patients At A Vulnerable Time
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
Caption: Dr. Tara Benjamin(left) specializes in high risk pregnancies. Most of her patients are in treatment for opioid addiction., Credit: Grace Hollars
Doctors who can prescribe a medication for opioid addiction, and accept Medicaid, are already scarce. But even fewer will treat pregnant women. At ...

Bought by WAMC Northeast Public Radio


  • Added: Aug 02, 2017
  • Length: 03:44
  • Purchases: 1
Missouri Finally Has Prescription Drug Monitoring, So Why Can’t Prescribers Use It?
From: Side Effects Public Media
Series: Side Effects News
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One proven way to help people with addiction is to give health care providers access to their patient's prescription narcotic history. For years, M...

  • Added: Aug 03, 2017
  • Length: 03:31