Author

Lauren Weber

Lauren Weber, Midwest correspondent, is covering how America’s health system is working - and not working - for patients in that region. Based in St. Louis, her hometown, she tackles everything from rural hospital closures to health system consolidation to state and national reform promises made on the campaign trail.

Health

As Schools Spend Millions on Air Purifiers, Experts Warn of Overblown Claims and Harm to Children

Lauren Weber May 3, 2021

Melanie Robbins, mom of a kindergartner and a child in pre-K in Montclair, New Jersey, joined a campaign of concerned parents who tried to raise concerns with the Montclair Board of Education over the use of Global Plasma Solutions…

Education

University of Missouri Settles Lawsuits Over Knee Surgeries Involving Veterinarian

Lauren Weber Mar 14, 2021

The University of Missouri's historic columns, with Jesse Hall in the background, on the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia. Editorial credit: Kristopher Kettner / Shutterstock.com, licensed. COLUMBIA, MO — The University…

Education

COVID Takes Challenge of Tracking Infectious College Students to New Level

Lauren Weber Oct 13, 2020

Mizzou's historic columns, with Jesse Hall in the background, on the campus of the University of Missouri in Columia. Columbia, MO - October 10, 2019. Editorial credit: Kristopher Kettner / Shutterstock.com, licensed. WASHINGTON, D.C. -…

Health

‘When It Starts Getting Into Your Local Hospital, It Becomes Real’

Lauren Weber Apr 8, 2020

A sign declaring “HEROES WORK HERE” decorates the lawn of St. James Parish Hospital, a 25-bed rural hospital located about 45 minutes from New Orleans, a pandemic hot spot. Photo courtesy of St. James Parish Hospital. LOUISIANA - The…

Health

Trump Admin Uses Wartime Powers To Be First In Line On Medical Supplies; Gives Feds Power to Edge…

Lauren Weber Apr 3, 2020

The Trump Administration took the action more than a week before it announced Thursday that it would use the little-known aspect of the law to force 3M to fill its contract to the U.S. first. Firms face fines or jail time if they don’t…

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Business

As Country Disinfects, Diabetes Patients Can’t Find Rubbing Alcohol

Lauren Weber Apr 3, 2020

Rubbing alcohol and alcohol swabs or wipes are the latest products swept up by the nation’s demand for anything and everything seen as a disinfectant against the novel coronavirus — by hospitals and average consumers alike. Photo:…

Business

Hospital Suppliers Take To The Skies To Combat Dire Shortages Of COVID-19 Gear

Lauren Weber Mar 26, 2020

The race to import medical supplies reflects a nationwide panic over a dwindling supply of the masks, gowns and other protective gear that health care workers need amid the growing coronavirus pandemic. File photo by Image by…

Health

Coronavirus Threatens The Lives Of Rural Hospitals Already Stretched To Breaking Point

Lauren Weber Mar 21, 2020

Dr. Randy Tobler, CEO of Scotland County Hospital in Memphis, Missouri, speaks by phone with Kaiser Health News (KHN). Photo Courtesy of Alisa Kigar. COLQUITT, GA - Rural hospitals may not be able to keep their doors open as the…

Health

As Coronavirus Testing Gears Up, Specialized Swabs Running Out

Lauren Weber Mar 18, 2020

The nasopharyngeal swabs required for the coronavirus tests are quite different from your standard Q-tips — and the exploding need for them has created a bottleneck in the soaring demand for diagnoses. File photo. CALIFORNIA - The two…

Health

Coronavirus Puts Prisons In Tight Spot Amid Staff Shortages, Threats Of Lockdown

Lauren Weber Mar 12, 2020

The federal Bureau of Prisons said there had been no confirmed coronavirus cases in its 122 facilities as of March 10. But coronavirus scares have occurred in some federal facilities, including the Federal Detention Center-SeaTac in…

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Health

Testing Public Health Infrastructure In The Heartland; Global Spread of Coronavirus Fueling Concerns…

Lauren Weber Feb 13, 2020

While 15 Coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the U.S. so far, tens of thousands of people have been infected worldwide and more than 1,300 have died. Global, and local fears of the spread of the respiratory virus are fueling…

Health

No Quick Fix: In Missouri, Managing Pain Without Opioids Isn’t Fast Or Easy

Lauren Weber Feb 13, 2020

While Missouri health care providers now have another tool besides prescribing opioids to patients with Medicaid, the multistep approaches required by alternative treatments create many more hoops than a pharmacy visit. File photo:…

Health

Patients Stuck With Bills After Insurers Don’t Pay As Promised

Lauren Weber Feb 10, 2020

Darla Markley and her husband, Andy Markley, of Winter Park, Florida, tried to pay off their medical bills following tests Darla had done at the Mayo Clinic in 2010. Even after Mayo wrote off some of what they owed, her disability and…

Business

Obamacare’s Star Ratings Offer A Glimmer Of Insight ― But Not For All

Lauren Weber Nov 2, 2019

A Press conference where President Obama discussed the quality of health plans due to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, nick-named 'Obamacare, and the insurance on the marketplace. File photo: Pixabay. ST. LOUIS — As…

Health

‘We Vape, We Vote’: How Vaping Crackdowns Are Politicizing Vapers

Lauren Weber Oct 10, 2019

Vapers were mobilized for two congressional campaigns with postcards produced by political operative Mark Block, who also started the Vape PAC political action committee. Photo credits: Lydia Zuraw/KHN Illustration; Mark Block; Getty…

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Business

They Enrolled in Medical School To Practice Rural Medicine. What Happened?

Lauren Weber Oct 9, 2019

Dr. Sara Ritterling Patry, one of University of Kansas School of Medicine-Salina's first graduates, practices internal medicine in Hutchinson, Kansas. With a population under 41,000, Hutchinson, Kan., isn’t the most rural community, but…

Health

Meet The Health Officials Who Alerted To Mysterious Vaping Illness

Lauren Weber Sep 25, 2019

The epidemic has prompted outrage about federal oversight of vaping, but there is also a local public health success story to be told. Doctors and regional officials in Wisconsin, Illinois and elsewhere pieced together that this…