Health

1263 Stories

Seattle's federal health office closes as Trump administration guts HHS funding

In his plan to streamline the expansive Health and Human Services administration, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced last week he’d be firing 10,000 employees and chopping half of the regional offices in the country. The Seattle regional office is apparently among them.
- Scott Greenstone
The flu is still going around Washington. It’s not too late to get your shot

To date, at least 296 people in Washington state have died of the flu since the fall. But it’s not too late to get the shot if you haven’t already.
- Eilís O'Neill
How far could Trump’s NIH funding cuts set medical innovation back? By decades, UW researchers warn

The Trump administration has cut NIH funding levels and paused new and existing grants from the agency, which totalled $35 billion in 2023. That’s left critical studies of various illnesses and drugs that could help treat them on pause. Doctors, researchers, and scientists who have spent years and often decades studying chronic diseases worry the cuts will have long-lasting consequences for public health and medical innovation.
- Stephen Howie
How did the Covid pandemic change your life? KUOW wants to hear your story

This March marks the fifth anniversary of the Covid pandemic's arrival in Washington state.
- Clare McGrane
U District pharmacy closures leave community anxious about medication access

As thousands of pharmacies shutter nationwide, a series of closures in Seattle’s University District has left residents wondering how they’ll access important medications if the trend continues.
- Piper Davidson/UW News Lab
U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier discusses vaccine hesitation consequences as King County records first measles case

King County has recorded Washington state's first measles case of the year. Measles is extremely contagious for those who aren't vaccinated.
- KUOW Staff
Fearing deportation, immigrants are missing appointments at Seattle-area clinics

Providers at Seattle area-clinics that serve immigrant communities say that ever since President Trump returned to office, many more patients than usual have been missing appointments.
- Eilís O'Neill
Washington state, UW join lawsuit over Trump order cutting funding for medical research

The University of Washington and Washington state are joining nearly two dozen states in suing the federal government over a change in funding from the National Institutes of Health.
- Scott Greenstone
Flu levels are at a 15-year high in the U.S., but many Washington children haven't gotten their flu shot

Outbreaks and high levels of illnesses (like the flu) have become more common as vaccination rates have fallen, especially among children.
- Dyer Oxley
Seattle Children's halts gender-affirming surgeries after executive order threatens loss of federal funds

After three years on the wait list, Children’s canceled the 16-year-old's surgery hours before it was scheduled. "Losing eligibility would jeopardize care for our patients across the region," Children’s explained.
- Ann Dornfeld

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