Disability organization innovates to recruit, retain quality employees
Staff retention is a major challenge for organizations that support people with disabilities. Partly due to rising demand and stagnant wages, as well as the common perception that this kind of work is temporary, these organizations are constantly struggling to fill positions. However, some organizations are finding new, creative ways to solve this issue.
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No funding to combat critical shortage of personal care assistants for disabled
Even when she's getting her nails done, Michelle Lacy, who cerebral palsy, brings a personal care assistant with her. "Because I can't hold my hand still, having someone there is a comfort to me," she says. The Reporters Inc. investigates how a lack of funding has created a shortage in PCAs, leaving some people with disabilities unable to care for themselves.
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Former journalist shares how her epilepsy diagnosis turned her world upside-down
"Making a documentary about my experiences with epileptic seizures seemed like a natural segue--a bridge--to link my TV reporting career and health issues," Stacia Kalinoski says. After losing her job and undergoing brain surgery, Kalinoski has turned the painful yet uplifting story of her epileptic seizures into a powerful documentary, Brainstorm.
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A mother's mission to bring attention to unspoken, ignored mental health issues
Marcie Gerald was sexually assaulted at the age of 14. Still struggling with the aftermath a year and a half later, the Chicago-area teen took her own life. Her mother Elizabeth has made it her life's mission to raise awareness about mental health issues, which are often ignored in African American communities, in honor of her daughter.
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Doctor compares "Obamacare" with "Trumpcare"; he says the differences are concerning
Patients are coming to Dr. Richard Weiner's clinic with a new worry. Instead of the typical cough or chest pain, they're concerned whether they can afford the trip to the hospital, let alone the care.
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You can never say goodbye too soon
48-year-old Mike Johnson died in 2010 after battling AIDS for nearly 20 years. The Milton, Wisconsin native contracted the virus through heterosexual, unprotected sex in the early '90s. He then spent more than a decade traveling the country, educating thousands of high school and college students about the risks and dangers of HIV transmission. His friend Jerry Huffman shares just how much Mike meant to him in this Reporters Inc. exclusive.
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Battling the inner voices that encourage self harm
"I'm always walking on eggshells and living on edge. I don't know what might set off my depressive state which leads to cutting. These days it seems anything can set me off," Ma Eliza Caliolio writes. Through her own personal experience, she shares the ugly, vicious cycle that self-harm creates.
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No time to be complacent, survivors face new challenges
"Looking back, it's painful for many of us who lived and lost during the early years of HIV/AIDS," Joyce Mitchell writes. While people infected with HIV are living longer and healthier lives now, there still is no cure. Mitchell celebrates World AIDS Day to remember those who've died from the disease, and educate youth to prevent new HIV infections.
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A community rallies to help a struggling teen
At an elementary school in Chicago, Illinois, hundreds of people recently gathered in honor of Becca Collins, a 15-year-old girl with Batten Disease. It's a fatal nervous system disorder that she's struggled with since birth. Reporter Mari Grigaliunas shares Becca's story and how she has inspired others to "just keep swimming."
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A little boy who can't eat anything
Jennifer Gonzalez says she knew something was truly wrong when her newborn son, Michael, started getting sick every time he ate. He seemed to be rejecting any and all food. Now, at age five, virtually nothing has changed for Michael and his family. It's a daily struggle to keep him fed and nourished, and the options to cure his condition are few. It's a case that has baffled doctors nationwide.
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A journey to reclaim joy and find strength while hindered by prejudice
"I wanted my old life back and I wasn't ready to accept that the life I knew was gone," Jerry Huffman writes. He shares how he dealt with the emotional and physical toil of surviving a stroke.
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Investigating toxic home poisonings
Most of us give little thought to the potential health dangers that can lurk deep inside our homes. In late May, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed two new rules to limit one of the most prevalent and proven carcinogenic compounds in wood products. What negative health effects can formaldehyde in our home furnishings actually cause? Vicki Kunkel investigates.
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Maybe now I can get some rest
Society is going to pot, and so is Jim McCleary. After decades of insomnia, McCleary has turned to medical marijuana to help him get a full night's sleep.
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