Side Effects Public Media

Dr. Erik Martin went to New York to help respond to its COVID-19 surge, and is now seeing another surge at home.

'Pure Hell' As COVID-19 Hits Meat Processing Plants in Rural Missouri

When physician Erik Martin left his home in southwest Missouri to help with New York’s COVID-19 outbreak in April, his county had fewer than 10...

Wes Bonifay, an educational psychology professor at the University of Missouri, attends the kickoff conference for the National Center for Rural School Mental Health.

New National Center Promotes Mental Health In Rural Schools

Sebastián Martínez Valdivia

It’s the middle of summer but Harrisburg Middle School is a hive of activity. Between summer school classes and renovations, it’s a little chaotic for...

Bobette Nzuzi (left) and Lisette Chibanvunya (right) are interpreters for the Northeast Health Council in Missouri.

In Rural Missouri, Interpreters Are Key To Refugee Health Care

Sebastián Martínez Valdivia

At a pediatric clinic in Kirksville, Mo., a young boy is waiting in an exam room to be vaccinated. A nurse explains the shots to his mother, and Lisette...

The Joliet Treatment Center, located just southwest of Chicago, is one of three mental health treatment facilities now providing mental health care to 765 of Illinois' sickest inmates. The facilities were created as part of a lawsuit settlement.

Prisoners With Mental Illness Still Waiting For Treatment

Christine Herman

Ashoor Rasho has spent more than half of his life alone in a prison cell—22 to 24 hours a day. The cell was so narrow he could reach his arms out and...

Menard Correctional Center in Chester, Ill. The prison was first built in 1878.

Illinois Prison Monitor 'Absolutely Convinced' Mentally Ill Inmates Abused

Christine Herman

The Illinois Department of Corrections continues to flounder in its efforts to care for inmates with mental illness, according to a new report authored...

Amanda Moller prepares her formula in her home in University City. The formula is vital to treat a rare condition, but her insurer doesn't cover it.

Health, Science & Environment

Medical foods are vital to treat rare diseases — but some insurers won't pay

Sarah Fentem

Every day, Amanda Moller scoops powdered formula out of a can and shakes it up with water from her kitchen sink. It's like mixing a cocktail, she said,…

Anne Hickman, 74, uses peritoneal dialysis at home while she sleeps.

Why A Cheaper, More Convenient Dialysis Option Isn’t More Common

Jake Harper

Boxes are piled high in Anne Hickman’s hallway. Family photos peek out from behind the stacks in her one-bedroom Indianapolis apartment.

A sign behind the closed hospital in Kennett, Missouri advertises a new urgent care center.

After Hospital Closure, A Missouri Community Tries to Fill The Gap in Health and Jobs

Bram Sable-Smith

Lee Ann Stuart still wears her nursing scrubs, even though the only work she’s been doing since Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center closed June 11 is to...

Champaign County Jail Lieutenant Ryan Snyder says a shortage of community-based mental health services creates a difficult scenario for law enforcement, as more people with mental illnesses end up in jail.

U.S. County Jails Step Up Mental Health Screening To Keep Inmates From Coming Back

Christine Herman

DeVonte Jones began to show signs of schizophrenia as a teenager. His first public episode was nine years ago at a ball game at Wavering Park in Quincy,...

As States Embrace Cannabis As Opioid Alternative, Science Lags Behind Policy

Christine Herman

Across the country, states desperate to prevent opioid addiction are considering medical cannabis as a solution. Citing the opioid crisis, lawmakers in...