Patti Neighmond
Award-winning journalist Patti Neighmond is NPR's health policy correspondent. Her reports air regularly on NPR newsmagazines All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition.
Based in Los Angeles, Neighmond has covered health care policy since April 1987. She joined NPR's staff in 1981, covering local New York City news as well as the United Nations. In 1984, she became a producer for NPR's science unit and specialized in science and environmental issues.
Neighmond has earned a broad array of awards for her reporting. In 1993, she received the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award for coverage of health reform. That same year, she received the Robert F. Kennedy Award for a story on a young quadriplegic who convinced Georgia officials that she could live at home less expensively and more happily than in a nursing home. In 1990, Neighmond won the World Hunger Award for a story about healthcare and low-income children. She received two awards in 1989: a George Polk Award for her powerful ten-part series on AIDS patient Archie Harrison, who was taking the anti-viral drug AZT; and a Major Armstrong Award for her series on the Canadian health care system. The Population Institute, based in Washington, DC, has presented its radio documentary award to Neighmond twice: in 1988 for "Family Planning in India" and in 1984 for her coverage of overpopulation in Mexico. Her 1987 report "AIDS and Doctors" won the National Press Club Award for Consumer Journalism, and her two-part series on the aquaculture industry earned the 1986 American Association for the Advancement of Science Award.
Neighmond began her career in journalism in 1978, at the Pacifica Foundation's DC bureau, where she covered Capitol Hill and the White House. She began freelance reporting for NPR from New York City in 1980. Neighmond earned her bachelor's degree in English and drama from the University of Maryland, and now lives in Los Angeles.
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In places like Los Angeles, hospitals are prepping for anticipated waves of COVID-19 patients. But they're having to ramp up while facing shrinking cash reserves. -
In severe cases of COVID-19, as lungs become inflamed, membranes that transfer oxygen into the blood can become blocked. Some hospitalized patients need mechanical breathing support to recover. -
Insurers have begun easing restrictions on refills of some prescription drugs, in light of coronavirus. Still, co-pays for stocking up on that bigger supply can be prohibitive, say consumer advocates. -
As the coronavirus spreads across the U.S., federal health officials recommend people stock up on their prescription medication. Some insurance companies are loosening their refill restrictions.
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To keep the new coronavirus from spreading in the U.S., hospitals say they need new and sustained funding for good epidemiology as well as more masks, gowns and gloves.
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So far, only 15 cases of coronavirus disease have been identified in the U.S. But if large numbers of people were to suddenly get infected, would hospitals be prepared to cope? -
With drug costs on the rise — and insurers refusing to cover some prescriptions — even patients with insurance can find themselves facing high out-of-pocket costs or going without. -
A woman had become barely verbal, an effect of dementia. Her daughter, an opera singer, decided to try singing Christmas songs with her, and they reconnected. -
If you own a rescue dog, you're probably curious about your pup's heritage. DNA kits may offer insights, but experts warn to be a little skeptical about results. -
A national survey by psychologists shows a significant rise in U.S. stress in 2019. Mass shootings, the election campaign and concerns about health care costs and access top the list of stressors.
