Pandemic baby boom a bust as hospitals see birth rate decline
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) – The expected pandemic baby boom is looking more like a bust. There was speculation we’d see a rise in babies born with more couples at home during COVID-19. It looks like the opposite has happened as national and state data shows a decline in birth rates. Director of Midwifery […]
‘Street medicine’ teams tasked with overcoming falsehoods, dispensing shots in Tucson
A couple mornings each week, Marketa Jansky wanders outside the Casa Maria Soup Kitchen asking the same question of anyone milling around: Would you like to get the vaccine today? As a nurse practitioner with one of El Rio Health‘s homeless outreach teams, Jansky and her colleagues are focused on bringing the COVID-19 vaccine to […]
J&J vaccine pause won’t cause shortage, but more went to vulnerable places in Tucson area
After federal officials called for a nationwide pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine on April 13, a few vaccination efforts were disrupted in Pima County, but it hasn’t caused a widespread vaccine shortage. “(The pause) does more to perhaps threaten equitable distribution, more so than the bigger picture of getting […]
Experts: Lifting of COVID-19 mitigation measures, virus variants may be cause of slight case spike in Arizona
TUCSON (KVOA) – The number of COVID-19 cases is slightly on the rise in Arizona. A doctor who is part of the COVID-19 response team at El Rio Health says the loosening of restrictions statewide may help explain why cases are going up. “The slow, thankfully, but definitely steady increase over the last couple of […]
Vaccine hesitancy increasing after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been put on pause
TUCSON (KVOA) – As the vaccine becomes more available, many appointments are not being filled due to people not wanting a vaccine. Even after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was put on pause, the United States still has two available vaccines and plenty of appointments. “We are finally starting to catch up,” Dr. Lisa Soltani of […]
Tucson’s homeless at forefront of new COVID-19 vaccine effort
TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Pop-up sites are opening around Tucson with one purpose: vaccinating the homeless against COVID-19. “A big part of Pima County’s focus with vaccine distribution is on equitable distribution. We want to get vaccines to those populations who traditionally have been left out of a lot of those health services,” said Pima […]
Addiction experts see stimulus money fueling substance use disorders
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) – Stimulus checks sent to millions of Americans are supposed to help provide a life line during difficult times in the middle of a pandemic. Some addiction experts say the money may be fueling substance use disorders for some. “They’ve received $1,400 and now they can go buy their drug […]
Sen. Mark Kelly administers COVID-19 vaccine doses in Tucson
SEN. MARK KELLY VOLUNTEERED AT A VACCINE CLINIC IN TUCSON WEDNESDAY MORNING. — Sen. Mark Kelly volunteered at a vaccine clinic in Tucson Wednesday morning. The Arizona Senator had administered other vaccines while working on the International Space Station. Read more at kgun.com
Sen. Kelly helps vaccinate Tucsonans at El Rio Health Center Vaccination site
TUCSON (KVOA) – Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly volunteered at an El Rio Health Center Vaccination site. Kelly continues to focus on vaccine access in the hardest-hit and highest-risk communities in Arizona. “That we get through the tunnel of COVID-19 quicker, I mean this has been a long hard haul,” the senator said. “I think it’s […]
Guest Opinion: How I Got My First Vaccine: The Heroes of El Rio Health
As millions of Americans nationwide sat on their computers and telephones for days unable to score one precious .5 ml dose of COVID-19 vaccine, in Pima County, frustration grew and soared. Then, near the end of February, Tucson’s local El Rio Health organization worked out a community plan with the Arizona Department of Health Services, […]