Spotlight PA
I reported on health issues for a new investigative newsroom founded by The Philadelphia Inquirer, with a focus on statewide accountability journalism and collaborating with other newsrooms. I investigated the state government’s response to COVID-19, from a hobbled public health workforce for contact tracing to a haphazard approach to nursing homes. I exposed shortcomings in college mental health services, including a series that led to a policy change at Pennsylvania's largest community college system. I also highlighted the way addiction treatment facilities used lobbying to influence public health policy during the opioid crisis.
Special Investigation: Cut, Now Crucial
Long cast aside as expendable, Pa.’s public health nurses are now pivotal to easing coronavirus restrictions. For decades, they endured budget cuts, political battles, and a major state Supreme Court case. Now, when we need them most, only a skeleton crew remains.
I did a live interview about the story, including listener questions, on WITF Smart Talk. And WHYY’s The Why did an episode on the subject.
This story won second place in health & medical reporting from the Society of Professional Journalists Keystone Chapter.
Pa. sold nursing home testing plan as ‘universal’ and ‘radical’, but advocates say it’s optional and insufficient.
State officials opted against making COVID-19 testing mandatory for long-term care facilities, and some fear certain facilities won’t follow the government’s suggestions, putting even more elderly Pennsylvanians at risk.
Inside some Pennsylvania rehabs, ‘it’s like COVID doesn’t exist.’
When addiction treatment facilities ignore coronavirus protocols, patients are forced to choose between recovery and safety. Those who speak out are often dismissed, or even punished.
Condemn, discuss, repeat: Students of color say Pa.’s state universities fail to address campus racism.
Students of color say Pennsylvania's higher education system follows a tired formula to respond to racism instead of enacting the support they need. At best, many students of color said they feel unwelcome and ill-supported. At worst, they feel unsafe and targeted.
This story won first place in educational writing from the Society of Professional Journalists Keystone Chapter.
She’s the force behind Pa.’s efforts to treat drug addiction. Critics say ‘there is more to the story.’
As a lobbyist, Deb Beck wields significant power over drug treatment policy and legislation. But some question whether she uses that influence to benefit the businesses providing care over what's best for patients.
Feeling suicidal, she turned to her college. But it had just cut campus mental health services.
More than a month after Pennsylvania's largest community college cut mental health counseling across its five campuses, there is still confusion about how students can access care.
This was the third story in a series of reporting on the community college. It eventually led to a partial reversal of the school’s policy and the restoration of some free, virtual counseling services.