Morris Brown, a primary care physician, listens to Sarah McCutcheon’s heartbeat in the exam room at his medical office in Kingstree, South Carolina, which sits in a region that suffers from health care provider shortages and high rates of chronic diseases. Gavin McIntyre for KFF Health News hide caption
People getting the flu shot this year will be vaccinated against three commonly circulating strains instead of four, after one went extinct during the pandemic. Mark J. Terrill/AP hide caption
Jeff and Donna Standridge (right and middle) and Keith Lowhorne (right) are all raising their grandchildren. More than 2.5 million children in the U.S. are raised by grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other extended family members — when their parents are unable to care for them. Drew Hawkins/Gulf States Newsroom hide caption
Kellyann Kaiser is a recovering opioid user who says she benefits from the new federal rules on methadone access. Karen Brown/New England Public Media hide caption
LGTBQ+ women face high rates of trauma and other mental health problems, a new report finds. SDI Productions/E+/Getty Images hide caption
A person carries bags of fresh water after filling up from a tanker at a distribution site in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Wednesday in Asheville, N.C. Jeff Roberson/AP hide caption
Bree Wallace works for the Tampa Bay Abortion Fund. The group uses donations to help people pay for abortion care in Florida, and to travel to other states, but has struggled financially to keep up with the demand.
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Nicole Fahey, six months pregnant, receives a Pfizer vaccination from a nurse on Nov. 3, 2021 in Los Angeles, CA. Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag/Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images hide caption
A new scientific report finds that the gap between federal and state regulations on cannabis is leading to emerging problems with public health Jim Mone/AP hide caption
Debra Ragoonanan, a nursing assistant, says she has endured PTSD after COVID killed dozens in 2020 at the Massachusetts veterans facility where she still works. The state agreed to a $56 million settlement for veterans and their families, but caretakers have gotten little assistance. Amy Maxmen/KFF Health News hide caption
Rats and people have long coexisted. Now research may find out a lot more about them Gary Hershorn/Getty Images hide caption
Stephanie, who asked that only her first name be used, picks up her methadone prescription at the Operation PAR clinic in Inverness, Florida. Stephanie Colombini/WUSF hide caption
John Brundahl (left), production superintendent, Todd Colvin, chief water systems operator, and Mark Toy, general manager, run the PFAS treatment plant at the Yorba Linda Water District in Orange County, Calif. Pien Huang/NPR hide caption
Indiana’s state fair will bring animals from across the state together. Experts say it poses a risk for the spread of bird flu Benjamin Thorp/WFYI hide caption
Anti-abortion protesters stand outside of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July. Wisconsin reverted to an 1800s abortion ban when Roe was overturned. The courts have since reinstated some abortion access in Wisconsin. Jim Vondruska/Getty Images hide caption
The palms of a patient with mpox during a past outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997. The country is now seeing a dramatic spike in mpox. CDC/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images hide caption
Monica Vera-Schubert says she's tormented by the question of whether her son Bobby would be alive if the overdose reversal drug Narcan had been easily accessible in his UCLA dorm room. Mette Lampcov/for NPR hide caption
Nurses attend to patients in this historical photo of the children's ward inside Wheatley-Provident Hospital, a Black hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. It opened in 1918, but, like most Black hospitals, it closed following the federal campaign to desegregate hospitals in the 1960s. Missouri Valley Special Collections/Kansas City Public Library hide caption
Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles is the latest famous American to get COVID in this summer's surge. Lyles won a bronze medal in the 200-meter race despite an active COVID infection. Masks continue to be a good idea in risky situations. Hannah Peters/Getty Images hide caption
Coca-Cola is a major sponsor of the Olympics. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images hide caption
A barn near Pablo, Montana with the Mission Mountains in the distance. Western Montana is experiencing more frequent heat waves, and officials are concerned about health impacts on isolated rural residents. Aaron Bolton/Montana Public Radio hide caption
The latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey found high rates of suicidal thoughts and experiences of sexual violence among teens. rbkomar/Getty Images hide caption
The abortion pill regimen, including mifepristone, pictured, and misoprostol is how most of the study respondents reported handling their self-managed abortions. Sarah McCammon/NPR hide caption
Bird flu continues to spread among dairy cattle. And new research shows there may be more cases among farm workers than health officials have confirmed to date. Robert F. Bukaty/AP hide caption