Nada Hassanein

From our NPR producer in Gaza Anas Baba and @emilyzfeng.bsky.social

Medicaid cuts are likely to worsen mental health care in rural America • Stateline Medicaid cuts in the massive tax and spending bill that President Donald Trump signed into law earlier this month will worsen mental health disparities in rural America, experts say, as patients lose ...

Medicaid cuts will worsen mental health disparities in rural communities, experts say, as patients lose coverage and rural health centers are unable to remain open amid a loss of funds.

@nhassanein.bsky.social reports:

stateline.org/2025/07/22/m...

Residents of historically Black community in Coffee County sue ALDOT over repeated flooding | Alabama Reflector The lawsuit, filed July 1 in federal court, alleges that the flooding in Shiloh continues to worsen as rainwater erodes the land around US-84.

Via @leehedgepeth.bsky.social & @insideclimatenews.org: The lawsuit, filed July 1 in federal court, alleges that the flooding in Shiloh continues to worsen as rainwater erodes the land around US-84.

Many medical treatments could be affected by Supreme Court transgender ruling • Stateline The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in U.S. v. Skrmetti upholding Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors could have implications well beyond the case.

The justices’ reasoning in the U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding Tennessee’s ban on youth gender-affirming care could have broader implications, perhaps opening the door to restrictions on health care for other groups, experts say.

@nhassanein.bsky.social reports:

stateline.org/2025/07/09/m...

Federal changes could end up ‘cutting holes’ in HIV safety net, experts say • Stateline President Donald Trump’s budget proposal, provisions in the giant tax and spending bill under consideration in the U.S. Senate and delays in federal grant renewal notices are causing troubling uncerta...

@nhassanein.bsky.social reports: President Trump’s budget proposal, provisions in the giant tax and spending bill under consideration in the U.S. Senate and delays in federal grant renewal notices are causing troubling uncertainty among HIV patients and their providers.
stateline.org/2025/06/26/f...

Glaucoma, the Leading Cause of Blindness in Black Americans, Is Often Preventable. But Many Can't Afford Treatment. - Public Health Watch In South Carolina and other states that have not expanded Medicaid, many patients lack health coverage.

Glaucoma, the leading cause of blindness in Black Americans, is often preventable. But in South Carolina and other states that haven't expanded Medicaid, many patients can't afford treatment.
publichealthwatch.org/2025/05/28/g...

Glaucoma-related vision loss is often preventable, but many can’t afford treatment • Stateline Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in Black Americans. Treatment is out of reach for many.

From @nhassanein.bsky.social: A timely diagnosis for glaucoma is crucial. But diagnosis and treatment can be out of reach for many in states that haven’t expanded Medicaid.

This story is part of “Uninsured in America,” a project led by @pubhealthwatch.bsky.social.

stateline.org/2025/05/28/g...

More states are tracking rape kits. But key support for survivors may be slipping away. • Stateline After years of pressure over lost or untested sexual assault kits, a growing number of states are adopting systems to track the kits — giving survivors a way to follow their evidence through the justi...

Rape kit tracking systems are reshaping how survivors engage with the justice system — but gaps remain.

At least 39 states and Washington, D.C., have launched or committed to tracking systems, while others face backlogs, delays and funding uncertainty.

stateline.org/2025/06/25/m...

How client advocates are quietly reshaping criminal defense • Stateline Across the country, a quiet change in public defense is giving people something the traditional system often doesn't: a path forward. Client advocates are helping people avoid incarceration, access tr...

A quiet change in public defense is giving people something the traditional system often doesn't: a path forward, @amandavhernan.bsky.social reports.

stateline.org/2025/06/10/h...

‘A purpose in this world’: Older adults fear elimination of program that helps them find work | Alabama Reflector Congress is considering ending funding for a program that gives lower-income people aged 55 or older on-the-job training.

Via @acvollers.bsky.social and @stateline.org: Congress is considering axing the funding for a program putting people aged 55 and older with lower incomes in work training in local nonprofits and government bodies, aiming to transition them to permanent jobs.

'Problematic' MAHA report minimizes success of lifesaving asthma medicines, doctors say • Stateline Medical experts are dismayed over a federal report’s claim that kids are overprescribed asthma medications, saying it minimizes how many lives the drugs save.

Medical experts are dismayed over a federal report’s claim that kids are overprescribed asthma medications, saying it minimizes how many lives the drugs save.

@nhassanein.bsky.social reports:

stateline.org/2025/06/06/p...

Guns kill more US children than other causes, but state policies can help, study finds • Stateline More American children and teens die from firearms than any other cause, but there are more deaths — and wider racial disparities — in states with more permissive gun policies, according to a new stud...

More American children and teens die from firearms than any other cause, but there are more deaths — and wider racial disparities — in states with more permissive gun policies, according to a new study.

@nhassanein.bsky.social reports:

stateline.org/2025/06/17/g...

Tribes, long shut out from their own health data, fight for access and sovereignty • Alaska Beacon Data sovereignty is important amid the health disparities seen in tribal people, rooted in forced assimilation over more than a century.

Tribes, long shut out from their own health data, fight for access and sovereignty, reports Nada Hassanein,
@nhassanein.bsky.social, of @stateline.org, via @alaskabeacon.com: alaskabeacon.com/2025/03/28/t...

Black maternal health advocates, researchers press on amid federal funding cuts • Stateline In its bid to eliminate federal diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives, the Trump administration has terminated community health grants and closed federal offices that support state effo...

“Black mothers & birthing people continue to carry the weight of a crisis that we did not create. … We are leading the fight to solve it and dismantle it.”

“DEI is not about politics. It’s about survival.”

@tuftsmedschool.bsky.social @momsrising.org @ansirh.bsky.social
#BlackMaternalHealthWeek

Trump is shifting cybersecurity to the states, but many aren’t prepared • Stateline States and localities are hoping to address the threat of cyberattacks, but cuts to federal resources and an overall lack of preparedness could weaken their efforts.

In response to a recent executive order from President Trump, states and localities are hoping to address cyberthreats, but cuts to federal programs, strained local resources and an overall lack of preparedness could weaken their efforts.

My latest for @stateline.org: stateline.org/2025/04/18/t...

Trump has canceled environmental justice grants. Here’s what communities are losing. • Stateline Communities across the nation are losing federal funds that helped pay for environmental justice efforts designed to mitigate the health effects of pollution and other hazards on historically underser...

“Where it hurts for us is we still have a huge environmental problem that’s occurring in real time.”

How environmental justice communities are grappling with federal grant terminations: