Many Southern states are among the worst. Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, West Virginia, and Louisiana have the worst infant mortality rates in the country and also restrictive electoral climates.

Firearm suicides accounted for 24,292 deaths in 2020 compared to 19,384 firearm homicides and 1,546 other firearm deaths. The number of firearm suicides increased from 23,941 in 2019 to 24,292 in 2020, and then to 26,316 based on 2021 provisional data.

Social isolation and uncertainty hit nearly every sector of society when Covid struck, amplifying anxiety and stress nationwide. The number of adults reporting symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorder has tripled since the start of the pandemic, up to 33% in June 2022 from 11% in 2019.

During the pandemic, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act boosted enrollments in public health insurance plans such as Medicaid, which contributed to lowering the share of adults with medical debt from 24% in March 2019 to 17% in April 2021. When the health emergency officially ends, many people will lose their public health insurance.

Pediatricians are an important source of behavioral and mental health care for children and recent polls reveal they are parents’ most trusted source of information on the Covid vaccine for children. The majority of rural counties in the U.S., however, have no pediatricians at all.

Pediatricians are an important source of behavioral and mental health care for children and recent polls reveal they are parents’ most trusted source of information on the Covid vaccine for children.

Without Medicaid expansion, hospitals don’t receive sufficient reimbursement for the care they provide to an increased number of uninsured patients and, as a result, oftentimes must close for financial reasons.

The majority of psychologists have seen their waiting lists grow since the pandemic hit. And many Americans are turning to crisis hotlines, which are also seeing ballooning demand.

Though the number of severe Covid cases has declined since Omicron peaked in early 2022, experts warn that “long Covid” may impact anywhere between 10% and 30% of Covid-19 patients, or 7.9 to 23.8 million Americans.

While the drug overdose crisis has grown over the last 20 years, fatal overdoses have skyrocketed over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. Several Southern states are among those with the highest drug overdose death rates.

For every 3 known Covid deaths, there has been 1 additional excess death. Early in the pandemic, health care providers noticed their usual patients, fearful of Covid, canceling care for cancer treatment, orthopedic issues, chronic disease, and other documented illnesses. New studies show additional previously hidden effects of the pandemic.

In the South, LGBT adults were more likely than non-LGBT adults to have recently lost employment income and experienced food insecurity. In addition, nearly twice as many LGBT adults experienced anxiety compared to non-LGBT adults. Many Southern states have advanced anti-gay legislation in recent months and a recent survey found these efforts have negatively impacted the mental health of LGBTQ youth.

When Covid struck, social isolation and uncertainty hit nearly every sector of society and economic woes deepened, particularly for low-wage workers. It is not surprising then that 32% of adults reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder in March 2022, up from 11% in 2019.

Before Covid struck, 18% of Americans carried medical debt, with Southerners carrying the highest average medical debt amounts. States that expanded Medicaid by 2014 saw a greater decline in medical debt among their residents than did states that failed to expand Medicaid.

Pediatricians are an important source of behavioral and mental health care for children and recent polls reveal they are parents’ most trusted source of information on the Covid vaccine for children.

The majority of psychologists have seen their waiting lists grow since the pandemic hit. And many Americans are turning to crisis hotlines, which are also seeing ballooning demand.

Without Medicaid expansion, hospitals don’t receive sufficient reimbursement for the care they provide to an increased number of uninsured patients and, as a result, oftentimes must close for financial reasons.

While 63% of the population in the U.S. is fully vaccinated, vaccination rates vary widely across counties.

As case rates from the Omicron variant begin to peak, hospitalizations remain high, stressing health care systems and health care workers.

Hospitalization rates in all age groups have spiked since December 2021, straining health care systems across the nation.