Health Care

375 Stories

Seattle’s Kaiser midwifery practice shuts down, even as demand for midwives increases

Kaiser Capitol Hill is a midwifery practice that will stop delivering babies in early 2025, shutting down an option for hundreds of moms who worked with this group every year. In recent years, families expecting babies have increasingly sought midwifery care; women often choose midwives when they want more time with their provider or are hoping to avoid medical interventions, like epidurals or C-sections.
- Eilís O'Neill
New research reveals vision loss, high cholesterol are risk factors for dementia

Untreated vision loss and high cholesterol as conditions that increase the risk of developing dementia
- Diana Opong
Microsoft outage inconveniences Seattle area, but emergency services remain functional
- Gustavo Sagrero Álvarez
Out-of-state abortions have risen in Washington since 2022

The number of out-of-state women coming to Washington for abortions went up after 2022, when national protections for abortion care ended, according to a new assessment from University of Washington Medicine.
- Dyer Oxley
Crowdfunding for health care. UW-Bothell prof examines the trend in new book

Author Nora Kenworthy's new book, "Crowded Out: The True Costs of Crowdfunding Healthcare," looks at the complex set of experiences of people using platforms like GoFundMe to raise money for medical care and how the platform potentially shapes the world around us.
- Hans Anderson
Seattle just got 150 psych unit beds. Is it enough to make a difference?

A new psychiatric unit opened Wednesday at the University of Washington’s Northwest Hospital in North Seattle. It was funded in part by state taxpayers, and it represents a significant step toward addressing the severe shortage of inpatient beds in Washington state.
- Eilís O'Neill
How early and often should women get mammograms?

New guidance from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends women should get a mammogram every other year starting at age 40 and continuing until age 74. With so much at stake, it’s important to stay in the know. Soundside spoke with Dr. Janie Lee, professor of Radiology at the University of Washington and the director of breast imaging services for the UW and Fred Hutch Cancer Center, to learn more.
- Libby Denkmann
Walmart says it will close its 51 health centers and virtual care service

The Arkansas-based company said that after managing the clinics it launched in 2019 and expanding its telehealth program, it concluded "there is not a sustainable business model for us to continue."
- The Associated Press
Nurses, technicians, and medical assistants win payout from Providence

Tens of thousands of Providence nurses, technicians, and medical assistants are about to get their slice of a big payout — totaling $220 million. That major chunk of change comes as part of a verdict in a class action wage theft lawsuit. It was filed on behalf of hourly workers against Providence Health & Services.
- Diana Opong
How do people escape the 'churn' and enter recovery?

In the final episode of the podcast "Lost Patients," a partnership between KUOW and The Seattle Times, host Will James and reporter Sydney Brownstone look at stories of recovery.
- Hans Anderson

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