public health

Politics, religion, distrust and disinformation all play a role. "I've realized that there's no convincing somebody once they have their mind made up," says a social worker in Beaumont, Texas.

For a long time, big decisions that affected the health of Floridians came from county-run health departments. Aiming for more equity, Democrats funneled that power to the state, and somewhere along the way, Republicans embraced big government.

Cases of COVID-19 are once again on the rise in South Florida, leading to more hospitalizations and more disruptions to daily life. Under state law, schools and businesses have fewer tools to slow the spread of the virus.

Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle's decision hinged on a definition of the word 'sanitation' that public health experts and legal scholars say missed the mark.

Even within one Florida county, social determinants of health can create a huge disparity in how long and how well people live.

The Florida Department of Health advised vaccinations for college students, gay men, people with HIV and immunocompromised individuals.

There is no easy test or treatment for nontuberculosis mycobacteria, or NTM. It can be transmitted through the water supply, but little is known about exactly where it lurks.

The settlements left Walgreens as the sole defendant in a lawsuit that targeted businesses involved in all aspects of the opioid industry. A Pasco County judge is scheduled to begin jury selection next week.

The state's program of free cancer screening and treatment is reducing inequities. Key to its success is robust outreach by patient navigators who connect with those least likely to seek care.

Washington is the first state to introduce a public option for health insurance, but it has been difficult to get hospitals on board. Other states with public options in the works are taking notice.

Only a few states have a surgeon general. Florida has had one since 2007, but critics say the job serving as the top advocate for wellness and disease prevention has changed because of state politics.

"Today we call on your administration to do what so many states and other countries already have: accept that COVID-19 is endemic," the dozens of Republicans write in a letter.