Blake Farmer

A box and container of ivermectin arranged in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Americans against taking ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug, as treatment or prevention against Covid-19.

As constituents clamor for ivermectin, Republican politicians embrace their cause

Blake Farmer

Hospitals and doctors are facing more demands for ivermectin as a Covid-19 treatment, despite no proof it works. In some Republican-dominated states, lawmakers and attorney generals are weighing in.

Hospitals around the U.S., including large academic medical centers like Vanderbilt University's in Nashville, Tenn., have been forced to rely on traveling nurses to keep their intensive care units fully staffed. The demand for travel nurses has driven up their hourly rates, which then motivates more staff nurses to leave in pursuit of a traveling gig.

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Worn-out nurses hit the road for better pay, stressing hospital budgets — and morale

Blake Farmer

In areas overwhelmed by COVID cases, hospitals must rely on traveling nurses to operate ICUs. Hospitals pay a premium for that temporary help, while also struggling to keep their staff nurses happy.

Hartsville resident Rick Bradley, 62, received his first COVID-19 vaccine dose at the end of March at the local Walgreens, saying "this is not a summer cold or a conspiracy." He says some of his neighbors have become so used to COVID-19, that getting vaccinated has fallen off the priority list.

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'It's Not A Never Thing' — White, Rural Southerners Hesitant To Get COVID Vaccine

Blake Farmer

A majority of white, rural conservatives in Tennessee are open to getting the vaccine at some point, but at least 45% won't consider it. Rates in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi are also lagging.

Students stand for the Pledge of Allegiance as they return to in-person learning at St. Anthony Catholic High Schoo in California on March 24, 2021. Masks and physical distancing are proving to have some major public health benefits, keeping people from getting all kinds of illnesses, not just COVID-19. But it's unclear whether the strict protocols will be worth the drawbacks in the long run.

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Should Masking Last Beyond The Pandemic? Flu And Colds Are Down, Spurring A Debate

Blake Farmer

Hospitalizations are down 62% for childhood respiratory illnesses, a study shows. Masking and physical distancing are keeping a variety of viruses in check, but will these behaviors last?

Patients at a community health center in Nashville wait for their vaccine appointment. The Biden administration has announced that federally-funded community health centers around the country will start getting direct shipments of the vaccine.

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Biden Administration Recruits Community Clinics To Help Solve Vaccine Inequities

Blake Farmer

Black Americans are getting vaccinated at lower rates than whites. A new push to send vaccines to community health centers is intended to help quickly bridge that gap.

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Organ Donation Nonprofits Face New Scrutiny Under Trump Administration Rules

Blake Farmer

Health officials are changing how they assess the regional nonprofits that find organs to transplant. The goal is to understand, and eventually fix, the geographic disparities in organ availability.

Ambulances fill the loading area at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The hospital has tried to adjust to the surge of new infections by dedicating three floors for treatment of COVID-19 patients, and creating two COVID-only intensive care units for the most seriously ill. Still, the hospital has had to deny patient-transfer requests from smaller hospitals.

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Tennessee Hospitals Are Disturbingly Close To Their Breaking Point

Blake Farmer

Many U.S. hospitals are struggling to find enough space and staff to treat COVID-19 patients. The surge in new cases has forced them to rethink how they use space, manage staff, and handle treatment.