Diagnosed: A Yearlong Radio Series on Healthcare

Vaccine hesitancy is a growing phenomenon across the United States and in Utah in particular. According to the Utah Department of Health, Utah ranks 41st among for the percentage of children who have received the complete set of recommended childhood vaccinations.

In today’s booming economy, more and more employers are facing a shortage of workers; one that they might fill by reaching out to people with disabilities. But what about the cost of accommodations for workers with disabilities?

A Logan art studio says, "Art is for everyone", and invites people of all abilities to jump in. Mary Heers and Kirsten Swanson bring you the story as part of the UPR original series Diagnosed.

We’ve heard a lot about the booming economy, and it’s true the employment rate has risen, for both people with and without disabilities. Still, the employment gap—that’s the difference in employment rates between typical employees and those with disabilities—is still wider than it was in 2008, when the Great Recession began, according to a study from the University of New Hampshire. Where does Utah fit in all of this? We rank third in the nation for employment rates among people with disabilities, according to the same study. Today, as part of the UPR original series Diagnosed , JoLynne Lyon speaks to an employer and a service provider. They have different jobs, but they both want employees with disabilities to thrive—and the companies that hire them to succeed, too.

High schools and universities around the state are gearing up for graduation. For some, leaving school means entering the adult world. But for people with disabilities, an independent life is less certain. Eight in 10 people with disabilities are not in the labor force, compared with three in 10 among people without a disability.

During the first segment of Human in the Helmet - part of our UPR original series Diagnosed - reporter Paige Mendez introduced us to collegiate athletes who spoke about ways they have faced and addressed mental and emotional challenges, including anxiety and depression. In this next episode, she addresses these same issues but this time with younger athletes, including those who play for the little-leagues or compete through school athletic programs.

According the NCAA, 30% of student athletes in collegiate-level sports self-report that they have felt unmanageably overwhelmed during their sport’s season. About a quarter of them self-reported that they felt exhausted from the mental demands of their sport.

The unemployment rate for people with disabilities was 8 percent in 2018: more than twice the rate for the general population, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And getting a job is only the first step: staying employed is also a challenge.

With technology, intensive care units have gotten better and better at saving lives, but medical professionals are realizing that they may have lost something along the way - the humane care of patients and their families. In our ongoing healthcare series Diagnosed, Andrea Smardon reports on efforts underway here in Utah to humanize critical care.

Most of the time, Brian Zenger would identify himself as an MD-PhD student. But some nights, he’s simply a volunteer at the University of Utah Hospital. On these nights, when he’s called, his sole job is to spend 3 hours just being with someone while they’re dying.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, just under 19 percent of people with disabilities are employed, compared with 66 percent of people without disabilities. Policymakers and educators want to change that.

One in three senior citizens dies with a dementia-causing disease - most commonly, Alzheimer’s . A diagnosis with one of these diseases can be dreadful, as there are currently no effective treatments. In this installment of our series “Diagnosed,” we talked with one Utah couple adjusting to a disease with no effective long-term treatment and no cure.

About 193,000 Americans under the age of 20 have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Modern medical technology makes the disease manageable for kids, but what does it take for kids as they navigate school while living with Type 1 Diabetes?

A traumatic event is characterized as an incident that causes harm to an individual, resulting in an individual feeling anxious, frightened and unsafe. For a child, the traumatic experience can have a lasting impact. As the child’s brain continues to develop they require additional love and support to deal with a traumatic episode. But what if that child doesn’t have that support?

Cancer. It’s a life-changing event for the people who are diagnosed and their families. Unless you have gone through the diagnosis, treatments and surgeries, it’s impossible to fully understand what patients go through.

While scrolling through your social media feed, you’ve probably seen a video of someone having their cochlear implants turned on for the first time. In these videos, infants, children and adults alike react emotionally to hearing sound through their new device for the first time.

With advancements in Internet technology, it’s easy to think the difficulties people with disabilities have with getting from place to place can be solved by the Internet. After all, people can telecommute to work, have a virtual doctor’s visit and shop online .

Imagine a world where you cannot drive. Where trains don’t travel and busses don’t run. How might that impact your ability to access quality healthcare?

In 2017, the unemployment rate in the United States fell across the board. But fewer than 19 percent of people with disabilities were employed, compared with more than 65 percent of the general population, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Among people actively looking for work, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities is more than double that of the general population.

“With stroke, we have a very short time window when we’re able to treat people,” said Dr. Marilyn McKasson , telestroke medical director for Intermountain Healthcare.