April Dembosky
April Dembosky is the health reporter for The California Report and KQED News. She covers health policy and public health, and has reported extensively on the economics of health care, the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act in California, mental health and end-of-life issues. Her work is regularly rebroadcast on NPR and has been recognized with awards from the Society for Professional Journalists (for sports reporting), and the Association of Health Care Journalists (for a story about pediatric hospice). Her hour-long radio documentary about home funeralswon the Best New Artist award from the Third Coast International Audio Festival in 2009. April occasionally moonlights on the arts beat, covering music and dance. Her story about the first symphony orchestra at Burning Man won the award for Best Use of Sound from the Public Radio News Directors Inc. Before joining KQED in 2013, April covered technology and Silicon Valley for The Financial Times, and freelanced for Marketplace and The New York Times. She is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and Smith College.
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The largest union of nurses in California starts contract negotiations Thursday with Kaiser Permanente's hospitals. Talks went smoothly four years ago, but this round will likely be more contentious. -
Saline, used to clean wounds and treat dehydration, is a critical medical supply. But lately there hasn't been enough of it, and drugmakers say they won't be able to meet demand until next year. -
The sheriff's department in San Francisco is now enrolling inmates in post-jail health coverage as soon as they enter the system. But even with insurance, former inmates can have trouble getting care. -
Craniotomy in G Sharp is one of the works on display at a San Francisco exhibit of art by neurosurgeons. Its creator says her work often begins with a scalpel and ends with a paint brush.
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Certain sales strategies work well with American Latinos. California's insurance exchange didn't try any of them when advertising coverage with the Affordable Care Act. -
As more clients go on Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, some birth control clinics are losing money and looking for creative ways to adapt. -
People like the convenience of checking their blood pressure at free machines in pharmacies and supermarkets. But at least one company is selling the contact information of people who use its machines to health insurers seeking new customers. -
A number of old Art Deco movie palaces across the country still feature live organ performances 30 to 60 minutes before film screenings. Some theaters occasionally feature old silent films with an organist playing his own composition as a soundtrack underneath. These musicians have an enthusiastic following and become celebrities — although most people only see the back of their heads.
