Sandy West - KFF Health News

A man had friends drive him to the hospital after he was hit by a car. Doctors checked him out, then sent him by ambulance to a trauma center, which released him with no further treatment.

Casinos in several states are fighting efforts to ban smoking, and trying to roll back existing anti-smoking laws. One planned facility even moved outside a city’s limits because of voter-approved smoking restrictions.

Historically neglected by sunscreen manufacturers and a medical community lagging in diversity and cultural competency, many people with dark skin tones have not been informed about sun safety or how to monitor their skin for damage or cancer.

Legislators in Kansas are pushing bills to expand exemptions for school vaccines, allowing religious exemptions for all vaccine requirements without families having to provide any proof of their beliefs. Similar bills are being introduced around the nation.

Among the people still reluctant to get vaccinated are firefighters, many of whom also respond to medical calls as paramedics and EMTs and have witnessed the ravages of the pandemic firsthand.

While bed shortages have happened in pockets throughout the country since the spring, the pressure on hospitals is widespread now — reaching into urban and rural communities at an alarming pace.

Having a kid with a food allergy is hard. But for low-income families of color, such allergies can be especially deadly.