Appalachia’s health care story

Drug Company Gilead Gives $11M To Halt Hep C Rise In Ohio Valley

This article was originally published by Ohio Valley ReSource. Drug maker Gilead Sciences will give $11.3 million to help prevent and treat hepatitis C in Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina. That money is part of a five-year project aimed at a region that’s been hit hard by the viral disease. About 43,000 […]

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Rural People With Disabilities are Still Struggling to Recover from the Recession

After the devastating losses of the Great Recession, the U.S. has enjoyed one of the longest expansions in its recorded history. For nearly 100 straight months, the U.S. economy has added jobs. But not all groups have shared equally in the recovery. African-Americans and people in rural communities have been […]

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Amid Black Lung Surge, Kentucky Changes Benefits Process for Miners

William McCool is a 64-year-old former coal miner from Letcher County, Kentucky, with an advanced form of black lung disease. Health experts say the condition is entirely preventable with dust control measures in mines. But today, more miners in Appalachia are being diagnosed with severe black lung than ever before. “I’ve worked […]

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In Rural WV, Sexual Assault Victims Face Unique Hurdles

Each Thursday in Fayette County, West Virginia, Twanna Warner-Burton stands before a group of people gathered by WorkForce West Virginia, the state agency managing unemployment. But she’s not there to talk about jobs. As a rural advocate for sexual violence victims, Warner-Burton focuses on introducing herself to the group  and […]

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Appalachia Can’t Close the Health Disparity Gap Until it Fixes its Hospitals

Appalachia is falling behind the rest of the United States in key health metrics. Financial instability in the region’s health care industry, a devastating opioid crisis that still is unfolding, and ongoing socioeconomic challenges mean that the disparity will likely get worse before it gets better. A study published this […]

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