April Dembosky, KFF Health News

April Dembosky

KFF Health News

San Francisco, CA, United States

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Recent:
  • Unknown
Past:
  • KFF Health News
  • KQED Public Media

Past articles by April:

‘Fourth Trimester’ Focus Is Pushed to Prevent Maternal Deaths

Public health investigators found that 53% of maternal deaths happened well after a mother left the hospital — from seven days to a year after the birth. → Read More

An Abortion Rights Question on the California Ballot Revives the Debate Over ‘Viability’

California voters will decide in November whether to amend the state constitution to explicitly protect abortion rights. But there is disagreement over whether the proposal, Proposition 1, would me… → Read More

California May Require Labels on Pot Products to Warn of Mental Health Risks

Doctors and lawmakers in California want cannabis products labeled to warn consumers of the increased risk of schizophrenia and other disorders associated with heavy use. → Read More

Listen: California Positions Itself as an Abortion Sanctuary State

California lawmakers are considering 13 bills designed to expand access to abortion and welcome women from states where abortion is being banned or restricted. → Read More

It’s Not Just Physicians and Nurses. Veterinarians Are Burning Out, Too.

Empathy overload and compassion fatigue contribute to the mental health woes of veterinarians, who are more likely than other Americans to attempt suicide. And with 23 million families adopting pet… → Read More

Covid and Schizophrenia: Why This Deadly Mix Can Deepen Knowledge of the Brain Disease

Recent studies from around the world have found that people with schizophrenia are as much as five times as likely to die from covid-19 as the general population. Scientists think the findings sugg… → Read More

California Joins States Trying to Shorten Wait Times for Mental Health Care

In California, health insurers blame long waits for therapy appointments on workforce shortages, but state lawmakers say that’s an excuse. A new law requires insurers to reduce wait times for menta… → Read More

Sean Hayes' New Album 'Be Like Water' Offers Pathway from Worry

The ninth album by the Petaluma-based singer-songwriter invites healing and release. → Read More

Listen: California Banks on a Bold Treatment: Pay Drug Users to Stop Using

As the pandemic has raged so has the country’s drug epidemic. California is looking to a controversial solution for certain drug users, but despite its effectiveness, critics have scoffed at the id… → Read More

Women Say California Insurer Makes It Too Hard to Get Drug for Postpartum Depression

Brexanolone is a promising new treatment for postpartum depression. But one insurer’s requirement that women try four other drugs and electroconvulsive therapy before the infusion means it is… → Read More

'We Were Frantic': COVID Through the Diary of a Contact Tracer

When San Francisco librarian Lisa Fagundes got redeployed to contact tracing duty for the pandemic, she kept an audio diary about her experience. Her journey over the past year is our journey, too. → Read More

Syphilis Cases in California Drive a Record-Setting Year for STDs Nationwide

New data released Tuesday from the CDC shows sexually transmitted infections reached an all-time high in 2019. The biggest spike was in syphilis cases, which rose 74% between 2015 and 2019. Leading… → Read More

Stop Blaming Tuskegee, Critics Say. It’s Not an ‘Excuse’ for Current Medical Racism.

The Tuskegee syphilis study is often cited as a reason Black Americans might hesitate to take the covid-19 vaccine. But many people say that current racism in health care and lack of access deserve… → Read More

California Is Overriding Its Limits on Nurse Workloads as Covid Surges

As covid patients flood California emergency rooms, hospitals are increasingly desperate to find enough staffers to care for them all. But some nurses worry hospitals will use the pandemic as an ex… → Read More

‘All You Want Is to Be Believed’: The Impacts of Unconscious Bias in Health Care

One woman shares her experience trying to get care in a Bay Area hospital for COVID symptoms. At nearly every turn, a doctor dismissed her complaints. Is bias part of why people of color are dispro… → Read More

Even After Care Homes Abandoned Residents, California Still Isn’t Ready for Wildfires

Chaotic evacuations at long-term care facilities have brought into stark relief just how unprepared nursing homes and assisted living centers are for wildfires. Now, a KQED investigation has found thousands of these care homes are still at risk. → Read More

California Hits Up Libraries and Tax Offices To Recruit 20,000 New Disease Detectives

As California begins one of the largest contact-tracing training programs in the country, many of the new recruits will be librarians: who are known to be curious, tech-savvy and really good at getting people they barely know to open up. → Read More

Fewer Traffic Collisions During Shutdown Means Longer Waits For Organ Donations

Accident deaths are typically the biggest source of donor organs nationwide. But when the coronavirus forced Californians indoors, accidents declined. → Read More

Fear Of Coronavirus Propels Some Smokers To Quit

Increasing evidence suggests people who smoke are more likely to become severely ill and die from COVID-19 than nonsmokers. Some people are using that as inspiration to quit. → Read More

California Wants to Create Its Own Generic Drug Label

The bold move is one of several new health care reforms the governor plans to announce this week. → Read More