Author

Markian Hawryluk

Markian Hawryluk has reported on health care for more than 25 years, writing for such publications as the Houston Chronicle, American Medical News and, most recently, Kaiser Health News. He has won numerous awards for his health reporting from the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Society of Professional Journalists and, in 2009, won Oregon’s top reporting prize, the Bruce Baer Award for investigative journalism.

Health

Amid Covid Health Worker Shortage, Foreign-Trained Professionals Sit on Sidelines

Markian Hawryluk Jan 25, 2021

Sussy Obando graduated from six years of medical school in Colombia, and then spent a year treating patients in underserved communities. Yet when she moved to the U.S., that wasn’t enough to be able to practice medicine here. Photo credit:…

Health

Not Pandemic-Proof: Insulin Copay Caps Fall Short, Fueling Underground Exchanges

Markian Hawryluk Oct 5, 2020

After losing her health insurance earlier this year, D.j. Mattern, who has Type 1 diabetes, turned to a growing underground network of people with diabetes who share extra insulin free of charge when they have it. Photo credit: Rachel…

Health

COVID Exodus Fills Vacation Towns With New Medical Pressures

Markian Hawryluk Sep 16, 2020

From the shores of Long Island to resorts of the Rocky Mountains, traditional vacation destinations have seen a major influx of affluent people relocating to wait out the pandemic. But now as summer vacation season has ended, many families…

Health

An Ickier Outbreak: Trench Fever Spread by Lice Is Found in Denver

Markian Hawryluk Jul 20, 2020

Trench fever is most commonly diagnosed among people experiencing homelessness or living in conditions where good hygiene is difficult. Photo credit Shutterstock licensed. DENVER, CO — Dr. Michelle Barron, medical director of…

Society

The Hidden Deaths Of The COVID Pandemic

Markian Hawryluk Jun 23, 2020

Sara Wittner (left) and her sister Grace Sekera on Sekera’s wedding day. Wittner began using narcotics again after the COVID-19 pandemic dismantled elements of her sobriety support system. On the Thursday after Easter, Sekera discovered…

Health

As Ventilators Become Crucial In Saving Lives, Repair Roadblocks Remain

Markian Hawryluk Apr 17, 2020

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for product information to keep ventilators up and running is at an all-time high. Modern ventilators are typically serviced either every six months or 2,000 hours of use and can last for 10…

Health

Mysterious Heart Damage, Not Just Lung Troubles, Befalling COVID-19 Patients

Markian Hawryluk Apr 6, 2020

In addition to lung damage, many COVID-19 patients are also developing heart problems — and dying of cardiac arrest. As more data comes in from China and Italy, as well as Washington state and New York, more cardiac experts are coming to…