America's rural hospitals were struggling even before the pandemic. Now, the loss of revenue from months of deferred treatments and surgeries have pulled more to the brink, as federal relief fades.
At least two-thirds of U.S. families are struggling to find safe and affordable child care as the pandemic rages on. NPR asked infectious disease experts to help sort the health risks of each option.
Dr. Deborah Birx says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is creating a new way to track COVID-19 hospitalizations a month after such data collection was moved outside the agency.
Most non-English films made outside the U.S. are inaccessible to many of the 26.9 million visually impaired Americans. "Dubbing just tells us the dialogue," one disability rights activist explains.
As schools plan ways to reopen, parents of students with disabilities have an extra layer of concern. Some therapies can't be replicated at home, but going to school might not be the safest option.
Jennifer Normanly wants her 18-year-old son Jack back in school as soon as possible. Like many parents raising children with disabilities, she feels her voice has been forgotten amid the return-to-school pandemic discussion.
The hospital said it made a humane decision to end treatment. Michael Hickson's widow says doctors ended his care because they underestimated the life of a man with significant disabilities.
Advocates for expansion say it would create jobs, protect hospitals from budget cuts, bring billions of federal taxpayer dollars back to the state, and bring health coverage to 230,000 more people.
There are growing demands that drugmakers and investigators ensure diversity in coronavirus vaccine trials by including racial minorities, older people and those with underlying medical conditions.
Scientists are now checking to see if purified blood serum from people who have recovered from COVID-19 might be more than a useful treatment. Perhaps it's a way to prevent disease in someone else.
Face coverings are key to stopping spread of the coronavirus, but also slow communication, especially for people who don't hear well. Volunteers and companies suggest some transparent alternatives.
Gene therapy has helped a 9-year-old boy regain enough muscle strength to run. If successful in others, the treatment could change the lives of thousands of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Beth Ziebarth, director of Access Smithsonian, about how the museums are adjusting their approach to accessibility as museums begin to reopen amid the pandemic.
There are more than seven million special education students in the U.S. And many parents of these students say their children are struggling with remote learning during the pandemic.