rural Alabama

Heart disease is rampant in parts of the rural South. Researchers are hitting the road to learn why

Public health experts from some of the nation’s leading research institutions have deployed a massive medical trailer to rural parts of the South to test and survey thousands of local residents. The goal: to understand why the rates of heart and lung disease are dramatically higher there than in other parts of the U.S.

Providers Plan For Vaccinating Millions of Rural Alabamians

As Alabama receives its first allotment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, health officials anticipate challenges distributing the vaccine in rural communities.

In Rural Alabama, Pandemic Highlights Need For Broadband Access

The internet is helping a lot of people get through the COVID-19 crisis. But many people in rural areas like the Black Belt have no internet access at all.

Doug Jones: Alabama ‘Critically Unprepared’ For COVID-19

Democratic U.S. Sen. Doug Jones says Alabama is an "unhealthy" state with a high-risk population. He says officials should implement strict measures to fight the spread of COVID-19.

A Murder in Rural Alabama? S-Town Podcast is on the Case

The creators of This American Life and the popular murder-mystery podcast Serial released a third season today. This one’s called S-Town, and it’s set right here in Alabama. WBHM’s Gigi Douban got a preview of the first two episodes, and S-Town host Brian Reed tells her his reporting revealed some painful truths about life in […]

Medicaid Cuts Sending Shock Waves Through Alabama Medical Community

The first round of cuts to the state’s Medicaid program went into effect on August 1. Officials did away with the “primary care bump,” a payment incentive given to primary care providers in an effort to encourage them to accept Medicaid patients. The cuts are already sending shock waves through Alabama’s medical community, especially in […]