Public Health

Before Modern Therapy, the Midwest Built “Asylum Farms”

In Independence, Iowa, on hundreds of acres of green grass stands a large Victorian mansion constructed of limestone and brick. The building is not...

Chicago’s Cooling Centers Provide Needed Relief. But Are They Enough? 

In the summer of 1995, a blazing heat swept over Chicago. A combination of hot and humid air settled in the area, leading to...

The Real Cities That Never Sleep Are in Ohio

An analysis done by Innerbody using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Numbeo places three Ohio cities in the top...

In Nebraska, Tele-Health Provides Care in the “Middle of Nowhere”

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, seeing a doctor or visiting a hospital became not only inconvenient, but sometimes even dangerous. Telehealth...

Rat-ical Solutions to Chicago’s Rodent Problem

Rats! Whether categorized as rodents, wildlife, vermin or pests, they have a profound impact on human populations in big cities — affecting wide-ranging aspects of residents’ lives from food to psychology to safety. In Chicago, which has been ranked the rattiest city in the United States for eight years by pest control company Orkin, experts are finding new solutions to educate about and hopefully eradicate the invasive species known as the sewer rat.
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Confluence: Stewarding Cleveland’s Water

The Great Lakes are one of the largest freshwater systems in the world, accounting for 21% of the world's surface freshwater and 84% of...

The Psychology Behind Ohio’s Vax-a-Million — and What Experts Say Would Work Better

In May, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced a lottery: the state would give five residents who got the COVID-19 vaccine $1 million each and five...

What’s the Deal With Post-Vaccination COVID-19 Antibody Tests? Answers From Experts

As the United States reopens, mask mandates wane and variants continue to spread, some people are looking to receive antibody tests to see if...

The Pandemic Travel Dilemma: How the Midwest is Faring this Holiday Season

The holiday season is looking different this year with decreased mobility, and while some places are seeing a surge of cases post-Thanksgiving, some states across the Midwest have managed to prevent and mitigate the predicted danger through public health announcements and limited mobility and gatherings.

Sustained Outrage in the Fight Against the Opioid Epidemic: A Review of Death in Mud Lick

Pulitzer-prize winner Eric Eyre’s new book exposes how hard drug distributors work to keep eyes off of their numbers and how important it is for journalists to keep looking. In the small towns of America, it can literally mean life or death. The opinions expressed in this series are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect any official organizational stance. Cover graphic by Ruth Chang for Midstory.

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