Blake Farmer

Experts Fear Partisan Disputes Over Vaccination In Tennessee Will Drive Skeptics Away

Blake Farmer

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Republican legislators in Tennessee pushed to limit marketing COVID-19 vaccines to youth, and to restrict access. Some doctors worry it will have a chilling effect on vaccinations.

Hartsville resident Rick Bradley, 62, received his first COVID-19 vaccine dose at the end of March at the local Walgreens, saying "this is not a summer cold or a conspiracy." He says some of his neighbors have become so used to COVID-19, that getting vaccinated has fallen off the priority list.

'It's Not A Never Thing' — White, Rural Southerners Hesitant To Get COVID Vaccine

Blake Farmer

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A majority of white, rural conservatives in Tennessee are open to getting the vaccine at some point, but at least 45% won't consider it. Rates in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi are also lagging.

Students stand for the Pledge of Allegiance as they return to in-person learning at St. Anthony Catholic High School in California on March 24. Masks and physical distancing are proving to have some major public health benefits, keeping people from getting all kinds of illnesses, not just COVID-19. But it's unclear whether the strict protocols would be worth the drawbacks in the long run.

Should Masking Last Beyond The Pandemic? Flu And Colds Are Down, Spurring A Debate

Blake Farmer

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Hospitalizations are down 62% for childhood respiratory illnesses, a study shows. Masking and physical distancing are keeping a variety of viruses in check, but will these behaviors last?

Patients at a community health center in Nashville wait for their vaccine appointment. The Biden administration has announced that federally-funded community health centers around the country will start getting direct shipments of the vaccine.

Biden Administration Recruits Community Clinics To Help Solve Vaccine Inequities

Blake Farmer

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Black Americans are getting vaccinated at lower rates than whites. A new push to send vaccines to community health centers is intended to help quickly bridge that gap.

Organ Donation Nonprofits Face New Scrutiny Under Trump Administration Rules

Blake Farmer

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Health officials are changing how they assess the regional nonprofits that find organs to transplant. The goal is to understand, and eventually fix, the geographic disparities in organ availability.

Ambulances fill the loading area at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The hospital has tried to adjust to the surge of new infections by dedicating three floors for treatment of COVID-19 patients, and creating two COVID-only intensive care units for the most seriously ill. Still, the hospital has had to deny patient-transfer requests from smaller hospitals.

Tennessee Hospitals Are Disturbingly Close To Their Breaking Point

Blake Farmer

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Many U.S. hospitals are struggling to find enough space and staff to treat COVID-19 patients. The surge in new cases has forced them to rethink how they use space, manage staff, and handle treatment.

How Different States Will Approach COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

Martha Bebinge

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Once Pfizer's vaccine gets delivered, it's up to individual states to actually get people vaccinated. States have different priorities and plans.

Maria Banderas (left) answers questions from medical assistant Dolores Becerra on May 18 before getting a coronavirus test at St. John's Well Child and Family Center in South Los Angeles, one of the LA neighborhoods hit hard by COVID-19.

New Coronavirus Hot Spots Emerge Across South And In California, As Northeast Slows

Martha Bebinger

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Nationwide, coronavirus infection numbers are trending down, but several states are seeing upticks, with the heaviest impact falling on communities of color and nursing home residents.

A nurse and National Guard medic interview a patient before taking a swab for a coronavirus test last month at Gallatin High School in Gallatin, Tenn. The state of Tennessee started picking up the tab for testing in April.

Tennessee's Secret To Plentiful Coronavirus Testing? Picking Up The Tab

Blake Farmer

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As states move on from social distancing, they need plenty of coronavirus testing to prevent future outbreaks. But many communities face testing bottlenecks. Tennessee has a solution.

Nursing Homes Hit Hard As Virus Claims Thousands Of Lives Across U.S.

Peggy Lowe

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NPR's Scott Simon speaks with WPLN's Blake Farmer from Nashville and KCUR's Peggy Lowe from Kansas City about how nursing homes are dealing with deadly outbreaks of COVID-19.

Kenny Rogers performs during Muhammad Ali's Celebrity Fight Night XX in Phoenix, Ariz., in 2014.

Country Music Legend Kenny Rogers Dies At 81

Blake Farmer

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The three-time Grammy-winning icon, whose hits included "Lucille," "Lady" and "The Gambler," died at home in Sandy Springs, Ga., his family said in a statement.

Tom Cooper, Nashville General Hospital's supply chain director, inspects a box of N95 respirators. The hospital is among a small group of pilot sites now sharing data about the inventory of its protective equipment with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Coronavirus Pushes More Hospitals To Share Data About Inventories Of Protective Gear

Blake Farmer

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There is currently no central coordination of the supply of protective garb and masks in U.S. hospital inventories. A CDC project wants hospitals to share that information for the good of all.