Blake Farmer
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The town of Mayfield, Ky., was devastated by tornadoes overnight. Much of the downtown has been leveled, including city hall and the fire station.
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With few options for health care in their rural community, a Tennessee couple's experience with one outrageous bill could have led to a deadly delay when they needed help the most.
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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.
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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.
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In many hospitals, the only thing keeping ICUs fully staffed is a rotating cast of traveling nurses. Hospitals are having to pay them so much that their staff nurses are tempted to hit the road too.
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ECMO, the highest level of mechanical life support, functions as a temporary heart and lungs for some of COVID-19's sickest patients. But the waitlist is too long for many patients who need it.
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Hospitals across the South are warning of a catastrophe if a surge of COVID-19 cases doesn't subside. Medical centers are maxed out. But space isn't the biggest problem — it's staffing.
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As Community Health Systems has downsized, what remain are like zombie hospitals – little more than legal entities still taking patients to court even though the new owners don't sue.
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Republican legislators in Tennessee pushed to limit marketing COVID-19 vaccines to youth, and to restrict access. Some doctors worry it will have a chilling effect on vaccinations.
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Vermont and Massachusetts lead the nation, with more than 70% of adults having had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Southern states such as Tennessee lag far behind.