Award-Winning Health Journalism

Who’s In Charge?

Illustration of the U.S. capitol building with a vaccine being injected into it. Symbolic of government vaccine policy.

How government agencies influence vaccine policy Fact checked by Derick Wilder Although local health departments set vaccine requirements and schedules, the federal government plays a significant role in vaccine development, approval, and distribution. With Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), that process may change.  Kennedy has […]

The Public Health Crisis of Gun Violence

Dark playground seen through a foreboding chain link fence

For the first time in history, the United States Surgeon General in June 2024 declared gun violence a public health emergency. “Firearm violence is a public health crisis. Our failure to address it is a moral crisis,” Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, said in a public address. Murthy introduced a 39-page advisory, laying out an […]