May 5th | What a decade’s worth of whale poop tells researchers about their health Find out how whale feces is saving the endangered killer whale. Swedish Hospital launches a Black Birth Empowerment Initiative, and the Tulalip Tribes are relocating ‘nuisance’ beavers to help protect the ecosystem. Bill Radke Play AudioListen 52 mins
The Homesick EMTs Of Manila Ease The Strain On Hospitals Coping With COVID Their workload has doubled. They don't go home when their shifts end lest they infect family members. When a patient smiles, they say it makes all the sacrifices worthwhile. Ashley Westerman Play AudioListen 4 mins
'It's not our rule. We're just abiding by it.' Statewide mask mandate returns to Washington This week Washingtonians are once again required to wear face masks inside businesses and at indoor gatherings. Governor Jay Inslee made the decision as covid hospitalizations in the state are at an all time high in the coronavirus pandemic. Casey Martin Play AudioListen 2 mins
A COVID Surge Is Overwhelming U.S. Hospitals, Raising Fears Of Rationed Care The delta variant is pummeling America's hospitals, taxing an already-depleted health care workforce. Once again, some states are facing the prospect of rationing medical care. Will Stone
As WA hospitals surge with Covid patients, here's what 'crisis care' could look like ‘If we go through this pandemic, and haven't learned that we truly are our brother's keeper in many, many ways, then I think, sadly, it would be a disaster.’ Kim Malcolm Andy Hurst Play AudioListen 9 mins
'Will I die?' Coverage of maternal deaths among Black women cause fear Earlier this year, Black health care providers penned an open letter to Black birthing people acknowledging that America's racist past casts a long shadow over the pregnancy experience. They called out “Black birth trauma porn” as a major contributing factor to the heightened fear around birth. Alisha Liggett, M.D.
Trickle-down effects from Washington's overcrowded hospitals The overcrowded hospitals we've been telling you about for weeks are having ripple effects out into the community -- some you could predict and some which are a little more startling. Take for example a fire that gutted a house in Ocean Shores or expensive airlifts from Leavenworth, Washington. Tom Banse Play AudioListen 5 mins
Nursing and war require alert personnel. These researchers are studying fatigue countermeasures Long hours. Extreme fatigue. You couldn't miss it in the faces of soldiers and refugees at Kabul Airport last month and you can't miss it now in the faces of caregivers in hospitals here at home. It just so happens that Washington State University Spokane is in the midst of a series of studies of how sleep deprivation affects people in high stress, high risk jobs. Tom Banse Play AudioListen 5 mins
Pacific NW governors hold fast on vax deadline as local officials warn of worker exodus The days are quickly ticking down to next Monday's deadline when most Oregon and Washington teachers, health care workers and public employees need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Elected officials especially in more conservative swaths of the Pacific Northwest remain fearful of a "mass exodus" of firefighters and health care professionals. Tom Banse Play AudioListen 5 mins
Becerra defends HHS rules aimed at reining in surprise medical bills Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra says health providers who have exploited a complicated system to charge exorbitant rates will have to bear their share of the cost — or close. Michael McAuliff
