Author

Heidi de Marco

Heidi was previously a freelance journalist and photographer specializing in work abroad, including a series of short-form videos about artisans in Guatemala supported by National Geographic. She was a managing editor for El Pueblo in Los Angeles prior to moving to India for a post-graduate program at the International Center for Journalists.

Health

For This Hospice Nurse, the COVID Shot Came Too Late

Heidi de Marco Apr 6, 2021

Nancy Espinoza holds a photograph of her husband, Antonio, that had been displayed at his memorial service in March. He died of covid-related complications on Jan. 25, 2021. Photo credit: Heidi De Marco / KHN CORONA, CA - Antonio…

Health

Role Reversal: Covid Increases Ranks of Child Caregivers

Heidi de Marco Mar 17, 2021

Rhianna Alvarado, 13, is learning how to change her father’s tracheostomy tube. “I’m proud that she is feeling a bit more comfortable changing it,” Brian Alvarado said, his voice almost inaudible. Photo credit: Heidi De Marco / KHN. …

Health

In Face of COVID Threat, More Dialysis Patients Bring Treatment Home

Heidi de Marco Sep 19, 2020

Maria Duenas, 60, has kidney failure and is on the kidney transplant list. But until she finds a match, she will administer her own dialysis treatment at home. Photo credit: Heidi De Marco for KHN. NIPOMO, CALIFORNIA — After Maria…

Health

Isolation, Disruption and Confusion: Coping With Dementia During a Pandemic

Heidi de Marco Aug 18, 2020

Daisy Conant hasn’t been diagnosed with dementia but exhibits clear signs of memory loss. She gets frustrated reading news about the coronavirus pandemic. Photo credit: Heidi de Marco/KHN. GARDENA, CA - Daisy Conant, 91, thrives off…

Crime

Hospital Executive and Nine Co-Conspirators Charged In Alleged $1.4 Billion “Massive, Multi-State”…

Heidi de Marco Jun 30, 2020

I-70 Community Hospital in Sweet Springs, Missouri, formerly managed by Miami businessman Jorge A. Perez, has remained closed since February 2019. Photo credit: Heidi de Marco / KHN. JACKSONVILLE, FL - A Miami entrepreneur who led a…

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Health

Going The Distance By Bus Through A Pandemic

Heidi de Marco May 27, 2020

L.A. Metro bus driver Voris Lombard sits behind a partial Plexiglas shield and wears gloves and a mask while driving. After each shift, Lombard removes his uniform and shoes before entering his home, he says. “It’s almost like you’re going…

Business

‘Essential’ Or Not, These Workers Report For Duty

Heidi de Marco Apr 1, 2020

Pauline Lawrence is a home health aide for a 97-year-old man who depends on her. Photo credit: Heidi De Marco, Kaiser Health News Network. WEST HOLLYWOOD, Ca - Pauline Lawrence is 63, an age that puts her at increased risk if she…

Business

Photos of Los Angeles Under Lockdown Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

Heidi de Marco Mar 26, 2020

Gavin Newsom on Thursday became the first governor in the nation to order nearly all state residents to stay at home and most retail businesses to close their doors to stem the spread of COVID-19. Photo credit: Heidi de Marco, Kaiser…

Health

Alzheimer’s: Finding Connections And Comfort At The Local Cafe

Heidi de Marco Feb 10, 2020

For Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers, social and emotional isolation is a threat. But hundreds of “Memory Cafes” around the country offer them a chance to be with others who understand, and to receive social and cognitive…

Business

Patient-Induced Trauma: Hospitals Learn To Defuse Violence

Heidi de Marco Dec 6, 2019

A nurse supervisor at Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, was brutally attacked last year by a schizophrenic patient who was off his medication. He lunged at her, threw her to the ground, repeatedly punched and kicked her, and bit her so…

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Health

Los Angeles Vape District A Black-Market Gateway

Heidi de Marco Oct 25, 2019

The vaping industry is under scrutiny as more people fall ill with a mysterious respiratory illness linked to e-cigarette use. Health officials are investigating more than 1,600 cases in 49 states and the District of Columbia, including 34…

Health

DIY Tech Gives People More Freedom In Managing Diabetes

Heidi de Marco Aug 19, 2019

Sam Mazaheri, now 14, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 9. “I broke down because I thought I had to have four shots every day,” Sam says. Photo credit: Heidi de Marco/KHN. CALIFORNIA - When Sam Mazaheri was 9, he was…

Health

Migrant Moms Await Due Dates And Court Dates

Heidi de Marco Jul 26, 2019

A growing number of expectant mothers are among the migrants pouring in daily from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador — even Haiti — to more than 30 already overflowing shelters in Tijuana, Mexico. Photo credit: Heidi de Marco/KHN TIJUANA…