Noah Taborda
Health ReporterAs KCUR's health reporter, I cover the Kansas City metro in a way that reflects our expanding understanding of what health means and the ways it touches different communities and different areas in distinct ways. I will provide a platform to amplify ideas and issues often underrepresented in the media and marginalized people and communities in an authentic and honest way that goes beyond the surface of the issues. I will endeavor to find and include in my work local experts and organizations that have their ears to the ground and a beat on the health needs of the community.
I started my journalism career in public radio at KBIA in Columbia, Missouri, covering local government while earning a bachelor’s degree in radio broadcasting at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. I then worked as an intern at KCUR on the Central Standard show and in the newsroom before covering the state government for the Kansas Reflector. I am also a 2020 Air New Voices Scholar. Reach me at noahtaborda@kcur.org.
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During the pandemic, a mass exodus of employees left the medical field. Hospital leaders say they're finally starting to fill open positions with permanent workers instead of contract employees, but higher COVID cases have sent many medical workers home sick. -
An updated COVID-19 vaccine will be in Kansas City in the next few weeks. The shot combats newer variants more effectively and comes as case numbers creep up across the metro.
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As temperatures reach the triple digits across Kansas City, more people are going to hospital emergency rooms than in previous years. Doctors share the common symptoms people report and what can be done to avoid a similar outcome.
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Diabetic people in Kansas 3rd Congressional District are projected to have saved an average of $620 on insulin in the first year since the federal government approved a new law.
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Jose Rodolfo Garcia fell 14 stories down an elevator shaft to his death on July 18. An OSHA investigation is underway, but city officials and local labor leaders say there is more work to be done.
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Across the Kansas City metro, departments are making strategic efforts to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for future health emergencies. But they are fighting uphill battles against lackluster funding, a mass exodus of employees and public perception.
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Historic redlining and lack of green spaces in the Kansas City metro means that, even in the current heat wave, some people will experience temperatures at least 11 degrees warmer. These heat islands are driving up energy costs and causing public health concerns.
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In 2021, more than 2,600 people died of a reported drug overdose in Kansas and Missouri. A Kansas City peer support group is bringing together friends and families who have lost loved ones to substance abuse and addiction.
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Children's Mercy Hospital has launched a new clinic aimed at treating children ages 12 to 17 with anxiety and depression. The collaborative program is one of fourteen Children's Mercy projects targeting the pediatric mental health crisis.
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Some Jackson County residents report their property tax assessments are up 90% from two years ago. On Friday, the Jackson County Board of Equalization extended the deadline to file formal appeals.
