The global COVID-19 public health emergency was declared over by the World Health Organization, but public health officials need to remain vigilant for the next one. Could it be avian flu or a different pathogen that jumps from animals to people? At the end of May, the federal government is launching the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility to monitor and respond to biological threats involving human, zoonotic and foreign animal diseases.

Join Joseph Burns, AHCJ's core topic leader for insurance and health reform, and A. Mark Fendrick, M.D., one of the nation’s leading experts on how cost-sharing harms patients, for a breakdown of the pending case of Braidwood Management v. Becerra. In this challenge to provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Christian-owned businesses and six individuals in Texas assert that the ACA’s requirements to cover preventive services without requiring patients to pay some of the costs of care is unconstitutional. If the court rules in the plaintiffs' favor, Americans may need to pay more for preventive health care.

Join Margarita Birnbaum, AHCJ's core topic leader for health equity, and Samantha Breslin, program director at NYU, for a tour of the new Congressional District Health Dashboard. This free website gives journalists, policymakers and advocates a one-stop resource of unbiased, nonpartisan data at the congressional-district level to inform the development of policies that give everyone the opportunity for good health and well-being.

Join us for a conversation with Linda Villarosa to learn more about the people she interviewed, how to find people who will share their experiences, and how to bring context about the legacy of bigotry to the stories we write about local and national public health trends.

Join us for a discussion with top NIH leader Dr. Gary Gibbons about long COVID, which is still poorly understood by scientists and physicians. Find out why some people have lingering, severe fatigue, brain fog, or trouble with breathing, who is at risk for these symptoms and why the best way to treat this condition is a mystery the National Institutes of Health's RECOVER initiative and many other researchers are working to unravel.

To help journalists write about this topic, Dr. Gibbons will answer questions about what we know so far about long COVID and explain which questions remain unanswered. He will particularly focus on health inequities and long COVID's impact on non-White and ethnic groups.
 

Join us for a discussion with veteran science journalist David Quammen whose most recent book, “Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus,” details the story of how virologists and other scientists have worked to unravel the mysteries of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Quammen will also talk about what he learned about the various origin theories and what lessons can be applied to the next, likely pandemic.

The New York Times describes the book as a "luminous, passionate account of the defining crisis of our time — and the unprecedented international response to it." Bring your questions about craft, grasping difficult science and spotting the next pandemic for this 45-minute Q&A.

When journalist Robert Kolker first learned about the Galvin family through a colleague’s introduction to one of the family members, he didn’t know whether their story had all the elements needed to become a book until he began the reporting. The narrative that unfolded—a family in which six of the 10 sons developed schizophrenia—provided a compelling framework for exploring the history of schizophrenia research from its discovery through the present day.

The result, the highly acclaimed “Hidden Valley Road,” has continued to have an impact even two years after its 2020 publication, particularly in addressing the stigma associated with schizophrenia. Kolker will discuss how the book came about, his realization that it could be a book, how he found and wove medical research into his narrative, and what the book’s current impact has been for both the Galvin family and the understanding of schizophrenia more broadly.

In the continuing fallout of the Dobbs decision, questions have been raised about how far law enforcement might reach into private health information via femtech, health care software and tech-enabled products designed to support women's health. Can “anonymous” modes recently introduced by some companies truly keep users' information private? And how could the upcoming November elections — 36 states are holding governor contests — impact the industry with abortion a top-of-mind issue for many people?

Ageism is pervasive in our society. And journalists can be as guilty as anyone else of perpetuating ageist tropes. But despite the barrage of negative messages that come at us at home, at work, and even at the supermarket, aging isn’t something sad or depressing that old people do. It’s how we move through life from birth to death; everyone is doing it; and more of us are doing more of it than ever before.

Freelance contracts can be short, simple easy-to-understand agreements, multi-page documents full of legalese or anything in between. They can contain clauses that will cost you money, take away your future rights to the story, delay payment and saddle you with legal responsibilities best avoided.

In this webinar, former journalist and media lawyer Charles Glasser will answer your questions about why contracts are important, language to include and avoid, and how to negotiate the contract you want. Feel free to bring a contract and ask a specific question that can serve as an example for all attendees.

Journalist Sarah DiGregorio, author of the forthcoming book, "Taking Care: The Revolutionary Story of Nursing," and Kerry Dooley Young, AHCJ’s core topic leader on patient safety, will review the findings of major studies on how nurse staffing levels affect quality of care. This webinar will introduce journalists to major papers and reports on this issue and provide an update on efforts at the state and federal level to mandate nurse-patient ratios.

Monkeypox is the latest infectious disease outbreak for health journalists to cover and explain to the public.

In early August, President Biden declared monkeypox a public health emergency and named Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, CDC director of HIV/AIDS prevention, as deputy coordinator of the administration's effort to respond to the outbreak. Daskalakis will take questions for 30 minutes during this webcast, so bring your questions about transmission, risk, health equity and how not to perpetuate stigma in your coverage.

In this webcast, Ohio-based award-winning journalist Darrel Rowland will explain the strategies pharmacy benefit managers use to boost profits by increasing what patients pay out of pocket for their medications and limiting the drugs that insurers will cover. He'll also talk about how pharmacy benefit managers have driven smaller and locally owned pharmacies out of business.

In the era of big data, some think that all you need for a systematic review is enough data. Not true, say Cochrane experts, who apply a rigorous methodology to their systematic reviews to minimize bias and produce more reliable, higher quality research findings.

Women in many U.S. states are facing increased legal obstacles to abortion, a trend that has been accelerating in recent years with laws now requiring waiting periods and "counseling," among other stipulations. A pending Supreme Court decision is expected to further limit access by banning the procedure outright in many states.

Ticks have proliferated - caused by the combination of overbuilding in previously forested areas, climate change and international trade.

We all know about the tick-borne disease - Lyme - which can cause debilitating nerve and other damage, but what are the new and emerging tick-borne diseases and where are they emerging? What does that mean for communities? What should reporters be writing about right now and what are the under covered stories related to tick-borne diseases? When will there be a vaccine for Lyme? What about the latest treatments and how can communities and individuals prevent getting bitten?

At 3 p.m. CST on May 25, AHCJ will offer a special webinar on an upcoming two-part film, produced by award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, on the crisis in children’s mental health.

The PBS film, “Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness,” is an intimate examination of a crisis that the American Academy of Pediatrics called a public health emergency in 2021. The documentary is anchored by the anguished voices of 20 young people, ages 11 to 27, who live with mental health conditions, as well as parents, teachers, friends, health care providers in their lives, along with mental health experts with deep knowledge of youth mental health.

Gathering the information you need to tell your story can mean finding sources to interview, searching the medical literature, and digging through archives, databases or social media. In our May 19  Lunch & Learn, we'll dig into reporting and sourcing stories. Whether you're reporting a fast-turnaround news story or a juicy feature, you'll come away with plenty of helpful info

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to aging in place. When the challenges older adults face are not adequately addressed, that person either lives with a lot of risk or is forced out of the place they'd prefer to live. Health technology is the answer for some. But there are challenges, including privacy issues, cost and useability. Our expert panel will lay out some of the issues that arise as families try to support a parent's desire to age in place. We'll also look at one demo project that could help and highlight some of the latest tech trends that health reporters should have on their radar.

As multiple states introduce legislation related to the care of transgender children and teens, it's becoming an even more important health care issue to cover, especially when so few people understand transgender health care or what gender-affirming care actually is.

High costs for doctor's visits, medications and supplies force many diabetes patients to forgo or delay routine care. Patients and lawmakers have expressed outrage at the rising price of insulin, which Type 1 diabetes patients must take their entire lives and is sometimes required to keep Type 2 patients’ disease under control. Last month, the National Clinical Care Commission endorsed limiting insulin price increases to the rate of inflation.

Experts in the care and costs of diabetes will debate the need for a more comprehensive approach to this deadly disease and outline some of the ways the U.S. health care system can make care for patients with diabetes more affordable.

Nearly 90% of older adults want to remain in their home or community as they age, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. Aging at home, or in the community, can help reduce health costs and improve outcomes. But it also requires more affordable housing, additional home and community services, better integration of these supports in the health system, and advanced planning by seniors and their families to create a safe, suitable environment. For some, it may also mean finding a different community-based solution.

Webcast panelists will discuss “aging in the right place,” what it means for the future of health care, and what older adults and families can do now to get ready for the future.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a surge in health technologies such as telehealth and devices to monitor patients' health at home during 2020 and 2021. Our panel of experts will discuss some of the trends in health information technology and what we're likely to see in 2022. What will remain part of our lives, and what didn’t make the cut?

Omicron is the latest SARS-CoV-2 variant to rock the scientific world, but it won't be the last. This webinar will explore what we are learning about omicron, how the vaccines will work against it and its likely impact on those who have previously been ill or remain unvaccinated. What does it mean for kids? How do we assess our risks for this holiday season? What do variants like omicron mean for how the pandemic will unfold in 2022 and the likelihood that it will still be with us in 2023? Experts will answer those questions and more. Bara Vaida, AHCJ core topic leader on infectious disease, will moderate.

As evolving science has helped researchers understand the science of addiction disorders better, it's become clear that much of the language we use to describe those conditions is outdated and can increase stigma, particularly with disorders related to alcohol use. Journalists need to be aware of appropriate terms and their meanings as well as common misconceptions about alcohol use disorder. This webinar will cover the appropriate terminology in covering alcohol disorders, current insights into how scientists now think of alcohol misuse, and common misconceptions about alcohol use and risks, including popular misunderstanding of the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy. 

Journalists should prepare to help their readers, listeners and viewers for an inevitable downside of a welcome development with electronic health records. A federal rule that took effect in April has made it easier for many patients to access their medical records. While this move is welcomed by patient advocates, it also will reveal many more cases of incorrect information recorded about people's medical histories and treatments.

COVID-19 has, in many ways, been a different pandemic for men and women. Men are more likely to develop severe disease, while women more often endure long-haul symptoms. Cases of myocarditis have occurred primarily in young men after vaccination while women have greater stroke risk. COVID also triggers different stress-related mental health challenges. This webinar explores how biological sex shapes our immune response, how gender affects the way we experience stress—and how COVID focuses attention on the longstanding need to understand how sex and gender affect health and disease.

Join fellow AHCJ members in welcoming new AHCJ President Felice J. Freyer. Two, one hour sessions will be offered for our members.

Bring your questions, goals, and vision for the future of AHCJ and let’s get to work.

Join fellow AHCJ members in welcoming new AHCJ President Felice J. Freyer. Two, one hour sessions will be offered for our members.

Bring your questions, goals, and vision for the future of AHCJ and let’s get to work.

This past summer, Penguin Random House published Marshall Allen's book, "Never Pay the First Bill," promoting it as "the guerilla guide to health care the American people and employers need." On Tuesday, Oct. 12, Allen will explain why he wrote this important consumer guide to the high and rising costs of health care and outline the steps journalists and patients can follow to push back.

Solutions journalism goes beyond reporting on problems and explores the ways organizations and communities are trying to solve them. Learn what solutions journalism is, what it is not, and why it is so relevant to health care reporting. Get tips for generating and pitching great story ideas and for crafting a compelling narrative. Julia Hotz of the Solutions Journalism Network and Meryl Davids Landau and Sarah Kwon, two freelance reporters who have written solutions-focused stories, will guide the way. AHCJ's freelance community correspondent Barbara Mantel will moderate.

It's been more than a year and a half since reporters were thrust into the daily challenge of reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic, and there's still no end in sight. It's been a bruising struggle for the high ground against misinformation, disinformation and often very personal attacks on social media and in real life by news media-haters and science-rejecters. The strain of bearing witness to other people's pain — on top of the personal losses many reporters have suffered — has made a hard job even more difficult. Is there a way to do this kind of work and stay psychologically healthy? The answer is yes. Find out how.

As parents prepare to send their kids back to elementary, middle and high school this fall, challenging questions persist about balancing children's safety with the importance of school. Hear from an infectious disease expert and a school nurse about the latest data on COVID-19 in children and what needs to be done to protect them. You'll also have an opportunity to get comments on the CDC's latest mask guidance for students and teachers to improve your coverage of schools and the pandemic.

This webinar will provide an overview of what we know right now about the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus and what challenges it presents to public health based on its properties and epidemiology. Eric Topol, M.D., founder of Scripps Research Institute, and Vaughn Cooper, PhD, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Pittsburgh, will explain how the variant differs from others, what we’ve learned about it, and what it means for public health so you’re equipped to report accurately and thoroughly on Delta-related news. Tara Haelle, AHCJ’s core topic leader on medical studies, will moderate the discussion and take questions.

This session will equip you with practical research tips with examples. We’ll highlight the tools to help you verify social media content across Google. We'll point to data journalism tools that can help you research and visualize your ideas, including a look at how Google Trends can complement your storytelling. From a breaking news situation to a feature length article - learn how Google Maps and Earth can complement social media posts or add a visual element to your articles. You'll dive into a range of tools with examples along the way.

What health issues have been set aside during the pandemic, what are the ramifications of that and how will patients and doctors catch up?

With a slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, it’s a story for health journalists to cover for the next several months or longer. Learn about more resources and how to reach your audiences with some of the authors of the Vaccine Education Toolkit, a project geared for journalists. Created after a survey by the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute with help from the National Association of Broadcasters and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the toolkit lets you dig through survey findings and finding data sources, leading experts and more. The webcast can help you find stories and make deadlines.

At the very beginning of the pandemic, there was lots of uncertainty about the primary transmission route of COVID-19. Increasingly, the evidence is showing the virus spreads through the air.

Why did it take scientists so long to determine that this? What do we know now about airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and is it possible to create indoor environments so that schools and businesses can be open safely? How should journalists cover this aspect of the story as President Biden is pushing to reopen schools for in-person learning in March and many state governors are allowing businesses to increase the number of people permitted indoors at the same time?

Hear from two experts on this topic: one an expert on how infectious diseases spread in the air, and the other an infectious disease epidemiologist and hospital preventionist.

Whether it is electoral disinformation or hoaxes about miracle cures for coronavirus, the information landscape we navigate daily is increasingly polluted.

This master class will walk you through the most common types of disinformation we find online, how to spot them and provide some tools and tips on how to slow its spread.

The COVID-19 pandemic has fueled a constant news cycle stories covering health and science, and provided many opportunities for freelancers – if you know how to find and take advantage of them.

This panel of top writers and editors will help you craft pitches for coronavirus and non-coronavirus stories.

Everyone agrees that reopening schools this fall has been a priority for parents, students and teachers, but the nation's inability to curb the COVID-19 outbreak is leading to an extremely challenging environment for deciding when and if to open schools. Two experts, one in education policy and another in infectious disease will help journalists answer these questions and more.

Investigative journalism plays a critical role in understanding the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications. Journalists are uncovering new information about how the public and private sector are responding to the epidemic – and how millions of people are affected.

The Association of Health Care Journalists and the Fund for Investigative Journalism are partnering to hold an online forum, “Covering COVID: Investigative Journalism and the COVID-19 Pandemic.” This one-hour virtual forum will include insights, lessons and tips for reporting around this complicated and fast-moving story.

During a webcast on antibody testing for the new coronavirus, Elitza S. Theel, Ph.D., director of the Mayo Clinic’s Infectious Disease Serology Laboratory, will explain what clinicians know about antibody testing for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 illness.

As we move into summer and states are lifting more restrictions on community interactions, how should reporters be writing about transmission of SARS-CoV-19, the virus that causes COVID-19? What do we now understand about how people become infected and how can we best inform the public about weighing the risks of returning to some of the normal activities of life, such as reopening schools, camps and restaurants, returning to offices for work and traveling for summer vacations? In the US, has our approach set us up for a spike in new cases? A biologist who specializes in understanding the spread of infectious diseases will answer these and other questions from AHCJ members in this webcast.

For an in-depth look at how to report on the effect the novel coronavirus is having on Native Americans, AHCJ will host a webcast with Donald Warne, MD, MPH, the director of the Indians Into Medicine program and director of the Master of Public Health program in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of North Dakota. A member of the Oglala Lakota tribe from Pine Ridge, S.D., Warne will explain how the virus is affecting Native Americans, the best sources of data about the outbreak in Native American tribes, and how journalists can cover the pandemic in these underserved communities.

Millions of older adults sheltering at home face another crisis—food insecurity. Many lack the financial cushion to stock up on groceries, or fear risking a trip to the supermarket. Online ordering is a non-starter for those who lack the technology. Those who relied on senior centers for socialization and hot, nutritious meals have lost access during the shutdown. Local food banks are overwhelmed and under-funded; many seniors, especially those in rural areas, are left with few places to turn and empty pantries. Reporters will learn more about this vital issue, what policies are in place, how they can be improved and why seniors need more than short-term triage to address this real and growing problem.

The race to develop a vaccine against SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is picking up speed. There are more than 100 studies and clinical trials with early promising results. President Trump predicted in mid May there will be “hundreds of millions of doses” of vaccine by the end of 2020. But what is hype and what is real? How can journalists responsibly cover these vaccine studies? A vaccine researcher and AHCJ’s core topic leader on medical studies will talk about how you can write about this topic and where to look for the next story.

Health care reporters across the world have stepped up to cover COVID-19, and some freelancers have reported that they're covering "all COVID, all the time." This webcast features three AHCJ freelancers who have written a variety of stories for different publications. We'll talk about their experiences and discuss the unique ways that freelancers can adapt during the pandemic, whether they cover COVID-focused news or not. Bring questions!

Ahead of the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, Wiley and AGU will host a webinar on the emerging field of GeoHealth, which explores the intersections of the Earth and environmental sciences and health sciences. The webinar will focus on the effects of climate change on health and society.

Long-standing racial disparities and gaps in access to health care services are having an impact on communities across the country in different ways during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Data has begun to emerge that the virus is having a disproportionate affect, in terms of illness and death, on vulnerable populations and minority communities. How can and should reporters be shining a light on this aspect of the outbreak?

In May, health insurers will submit health insurance premium rate requests for 2021 to state insurance commissioners. Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at the Center for Health Insurance Reform at Georgetown, will outline some of the questions journalists should ask given that rates are expected to be extraordinarily high due to the costs of covering patients during the coronavirus pandemic.

AHCJ’s panel of experts will discuss what preprints are, why they exist, how they fit into the scientific research ecosystem, and how to cover them responsibly for the general public, particularly during the pandemic.

Join Freedom Forum fellow Jill Geisler as she debriefs leaders of journalism organizations whose members focus on health, science and the economic impact of COVID-19, now and in the future.

A health crisis like the coronavirus pandemic generates volumes of information that is ever-changing. Journalists must interpret medical data to determine what is reliable and investigate countless sources to uncover trustworthy experts. Cochrane Reviews are a dependable source of high-quality health evidence that journalist can trust to inform their news articles.

Want to know where the next wave of COVID-19 shortages will be, and who is most likely to be affected in the months to come? For what supplies are health providers most likely to be in hot pursuit? Tune in for AHCJ 's webcast about supplies, equipment, and personnel issues to come.

When the aftermath of the Coronavirus outbreak arrives in your region, how are experts going to begin evaluating success or failure in efforts to slow transmission through methods from voluntary self-isolation to authorities banning crowds? Their answers might be the difference between life and death, especially absent a vaccine.

Older adults and those with underlying chronic conditions are most susceptible to COVID-19. As numerous media have reported, those in long-term care facilities face particular risk; many infected residents have died. Warning signs of infection in older adults may be overlooked, since symptoms often present differently.

David Louis, M.D., pathologist in chief at Massachusetts General Hospital, will join us to answer questions about why the United States has lagged so far behind other countries in testing, what kinds of tests labs are using, whether serological tests will provide faster results than molecular tests, how fast we can expect new point-of-care tests to be available nationwide, and what Americans can expect as more testing is done nationwide.

To ensure that we address your questions, you are invited to submit them ahead of time.

The COVID-19 pandemic is quickly evolving and finding up-to-date answers to questions from experts has been challenging for many journalists. Join two experts from Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security – an emergency room physician with a specialty in infectious diseases and public health expert ­– who will answer your questions about what is known about the virus, how the health system is responding, how the outbreak might end and strategies for journalists to combat misinformation.

To ensure that we address your questions, you are invited to submit them ahead of time.

Hear a panel of infectious disease experts and a journalist explain what is known, what to watch out for, where to find trusted resources and how to combat misinformation and confusion.

University of Minnesota health policy expert Sarah Gollust has looked at media coverage of the Affordable Care Act – and how the coverage (particularly on local television) affects public attitudes toward the health law and has intensified the partisanship around the ACA.

Her observations about the coverage in the past, and how it might look different in the future, are timely as we come up on the 10th anniversary of the ACA in March.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

Brookings Institution Research Analyst Diana Quintero has been exploring the rise of youth vaping through the lens of educational and public policy. In this webinar, she will discuss what she has learned about factors driving the rise of teen e-cigarette use and the health and disciplinary implications of vaping among young people. She will also share her findings about federal and state responses to the problem, as well as local approaches being taken by some schools and communities.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

Journalists interested in finding out more about the link between lifestyle and cancer, common modifiable risk factors, and preventive measures will:

• Hear about the types of evidence that show a high proportion of cancer is preventable.

• Learn where to find information about established programs that identify both modifiable and non modifiable factors that cause or prevent cancer.

• Understand the fraction (or proportion) of cancer that can be attributed to common modifiable risk factors.

• Walk away with a deeper understanding of the current evidence on tobacco, alcohol, excess body weight, and other cancer risk factors, how they impact the cancer burden in the US (and worldwide) and potential strategies to reduce their impact.

Over the next 20 years, the number of people living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias in the United States is expected to nearly double. The Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging's new report offers five key recommendations to improve brain health and decrease disparities, ideally helping to change the course of this devastating disease.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

The measles outbreak over the past year shines a spotlight on the challenges of finding the right public health approach to vaccine hesitancy and refusal. Join this webcast in which three public health experts will discuss questions related to vaccine mandates, how to counter misinformation about vaccines when does public health outweigh individual liberty and more. Learn some answers to these questions and new angles on public health and vaccines.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

Find out about….

• The latest research concerning pre-conception health and maternal health in pregnancy

• Which preventive measures help reduce pregnancy complications such as stillbirth

• The importance of the female microbiome in obstetrics and gynaecology and new areas of research in this field

• The problems in diagnosing and managing endometriosis and pelvic pain and new research into these areas

• Expert sources and evidence to use in news stories about women’s health

Millions of Americans of all ages need long-term care, but they face a looming question: how will they pay for these services? Coverage under Medicare and Medicaid is not comprehensive, and many people rely on their families and friends to shoulder some of the burden.

A recent study from the Commonwealth Fund and the Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH) shows that reducing the use of high-cost, low-value drugs in employers’ health benefit plans could help employers save as much as 24% in overall pharmacy spending. In this webcast, the author of the report, Lauren Vela, a senior director at PBGH, will explain the results of the study and PBGH’s efforts to promote a "waste-free prescription drug formulary."

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

Journalists interested in learning more about Suicide Prevention and Awareness to inform their reporting should participate.

Legal issues can trip up journalists — whether they’re in a contract dispute with their book publisher or magazine editor, or one of their sources is threatening a lawsuit.

This webinar will focus on legal and contract issues that affect journalists, whether they are on staff or freelance, and what steps they can take to protect themselves.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

How can health reporters prepare for covering a natural disaster in their community and then how can they best report on the event as it is happening, as well as what to look out for regarding the health impacts in the aftermath? In particular, what do natural disasters mean for children? What infectious diseases might they be at risk of contracting? Learn answers to these questions during this webcast for members.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

Some critics of the movement toward value-based care have challenged the idea that the health care system is actually delivering more value as it shifts away from a payment system based on volume. Professors from the University of Texas Dell Medical School say that contrary to the concerns among some critics of this movement away from paying for volume, value-based care is not a fad.

In fact, students at the school are learning to deliver care in value-based settings. They will define value-based care and explain how medical students are learning to deliver care under this new method of payment.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

Investigative journalist Katherine Eban explains how health care journalists can cover the fraud she uncovered in the generic drug business for her new book, "Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom."

Her work reveals how rampant fraud among generic drug manufacturers and lax FDA oversight put patients' health at risk.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

Alexandra Glorioso, a health reporter, was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 31. She’s written about her disease (and she’s doing well).

But on this webcast she’ll talk about what her experience has made her understand better as a reporter covering health policy and politics in Tallahassee.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

In this session media will learn:

• What are the dynamics of the aging process and why are we living longer?

• What do geriatricians mean by “healthy aging”?

• How does prevention reduce the risk of serious medical issues?

• What are some of the most common medical issues associated with aging and increased longevity?

• How much physical activity do people over age 50 need? How important is diet in the health of older individuals?  What other lifestyle issues are important in healthy aging?

Media interested in learning more about Sustainable Agriculture to inform their reporting should attend.

Wiley - in partnership with World Federation for Science Journalists (WFSJ) & Association of Heath Care Journalists (AHCJ) - presents Science Talks with Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC): What Journalists Should Know About the Environmental Impact of Microplastics. With thanks to speakers Dr. Susanne Brander and Dr. John W. Davis.

What we report on health care – and what our audience sees, reads, or hears aren't always one and the same. MIT political scientist Adam Berinsky is an expert on public opinion – and what goes wrong. Recently he's been doing a lot of fascinating research on health policy and health news and has some provocative things to tell reporters about who we trust – versus who the public sees as a trusted communicator.

How can you be sure your expert source doesn't have a shady past? What if your lead anecdote has a history of insurance fraud? We'll walk through some websites and strategies you can use to create a routine and spot potential red flags before you get burned, whether you're interviewing a patient with a medical story, an outside expert researchers or anyone else.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

Millions of Americans are taking prescription drugs made in China and don’t know it – and pharmaceutical companies are not eager to tell them. The pressure to lower costs has led some drug companies to look overseas where manufacturing standards are less strict and quality control can be iffy. This poses particular risks to older adults, who often take a half-dozen or more medications daily and who may be especially vulnerable to devastating side effects from tainted products.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

Climate change has many impacts on public health, including the transmission of infectious diseases. Changes in temperature and rainfall mean that mosquitos and ticks that transmit disease become more plentiful and affect more regions of the U.S. and the rest of the world. More destructive storms destroy public health infrastructure and expose more people to water-borne diseases. Changes in humidity increase the risk of illnesses being spread through bodily fluids. Learn more about these impacts from two environmental health experts and story ideas to illuminate how climate change is changing the spread of disease in animals and people.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

AHCJ is pleased to provide ongoing training and support for new and seasoned health reporters. As part of our partnership with Wiley we offer members access to an educational series of webinars called Science Talks that are brought to you by The Wiley Network.

In this session, Understanding Antimicrobial Resistance, media will learn:

• A brief history of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and how it occurs. 

• What are the leading causes of microbes/bacteria becoming resistant to drug treatments?

• What threat does antimicrobial resistance pose to humans?

• How are scientists fighting back against antimicrobial resistance?

• AMR expert sources to use in news stories

• Treatment options available now and in the future

The webinar will include time for questions and answers.

We will take a look at the Medicaid expansion landscape for 2019, after the midterm elections, changes in state government and ballot initiatives. What has to happen next? And what will it take for the holdout states to finally change. We also will review what's known about ACA enrollment by the end of November.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

After years of decline, the number of sexually transmitted disease diagnoses in the U.S. is on the rise. Our panelists will discuss why this is happening and what journalists need to know. They will suggest some story ideas to explore and resources for reporters.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

Three members of the Cincinnati Enquirer staff will discuss how they reported, edited, and produced the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Seven Days of Heroin" special report.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

This edition of Science Talks will look at the history of HIV/AIDS, what regions are most affected and the reasons for regional disparities, what treatments are available now and in the future and which sources of information are most reliable for journalists reporting on HIV and AIDS.

The role of the courts has recently heightened as many individual market and Medicaid policy issues are set to be determined by judges across the country.

In the lead up to the midterm elections, this webinar will examine the implications of impending health policy legal decisions.

In the more than seven decades since community water fluoridation efforts were launched across America, scores of studies have supported the safety and effectiveness of optimally fluoridated water in reducing tooth decay. But most water supplies in the U.S. are controlled locally. Laws and ordinances governing water fluoridation are often passed at the community level.

Our guest, pediatric dentist Johnny Johnson, president of the American Fluoridation Society, will update reporters on fluoride research and debates that may be coming to their communities.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

New trackers can help us get insight into the coming ACA enrollment season, county by county.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

Two public health leaders who are working on the front-lines of the opioid crisis will talk about how they are working to address the impact of social determinants on infectious disease death rates and will provide reporters with ideas on where to find stories in their community.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

While family caregivers form the backbone of the health and long-term care systems, a projected shortage of caregivers, coupled with an increasing aging population, is prompting a need for new approaches to care for seniors with multiple chronic conditions who want to age in their communities.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

If you are looking for detailed information about the financial health of hospital systems and health care facilities, you need to know EMMA. The Electronic Municipal Market Access website is the official source for comprehensive annual financial reports and operating information about any hospital or health care facility financed by public debt.

AHCJ provides ongoing training and support for new and seasoned health reporters. As part of our partnership with Wiley we offer members access to an educational series of webinars called Science Talks that are brought to you by The Wiley Network.

In the next webinar, Science Talks with Dr. Peter Halfmann, journalists will learn:

• The current situation in regions affected by the Ebola virus and if there is still any danger.

• Where we stand with the research on finding a vaccine and if the latest trials on humans proofed successfully.

• When the vaccine will be made available for humans affected in regions by the Ebola virus.  

• What the future will bring in terms of infectious diseases, such as Ebola.

• How local journalists can better report on infectious diseases including: what they should look for, what kind of questions to ask, what resources they should use.

We'll discuss association health plans and short-duration health plans – what are they, what will they cover (and not cover), how will they address pre-existing conditions, and what do they mean for the ACA markets?

The nations’ employers, who provide health insurance for more than half of all Americans, know that maternity care is the number one reason for hospitalization among most employee populations. They also know that the highest cost for maternity care is when a pre-term infant (those born at less than 39 completed weeks of gestation) is treated in the neonatal intensive care unit. For this reason, employers nationwide want hospitals to reduce the number of early elective deliveries.

There has been growing momentum among policymakers to address rising prescription drug prices. One solution is leveraging market forces to bring down costs by increasing competition through generics and biosimilars. During this webinar panelists will discuss the main opportunities and challenges of the generic and biosimilar market, how past administrations have approached this issue, and how different stakeholders, including consumers, are impacted.

Did you know that AHCJ members have access to the Cochrane Library as well as all health science titles published on Wiley Online Library? With this benefit, you can read millions of articles from more than 1,500 journals, including Cochrane Library, Cancer, Journal of the American Heart Association and more.

To help you use these resources, we have partnered with Wiley on a new series of webinars called Science Talks that are brought to you by The Wiley Network. In this first of a series of webinars, learn:

• How to use the Cochrane Library to support news stories covering important health subjects;

• What sets Cochrane evidence aside from other types of health-related studies;

• Why Cochrane evidence has rigorous quality standards;

• The role of media in helping to translate medical evidence to help consumers make informed health decisions.

As adults age, so do their immune systems, leaving them vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases like the flu, shingles and pneumonia. Yet adult vaccinations are low in the U.S., which can result in costly hospitalizations and other medical interventions. This panel will explore some of the reasons for low adult vaccination rates, which range from the failure of insurers to cover adult vaccines to lack of information from health providers.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

Dec. 18, noon ET

The threat of antibiotic resistance continues to grow. In some cases, resistant bacteria have already meant patients are living in a "post-antibiotic" world. In 2016, a Nevada woman died after developing an illness from bacteria that were resistant to all approved antibiotics in the U.S.

How are these bugs spreading? What is the U.S. doing to halt their spread? And how can reporters cover antibiotic resistance in their communities? Two CDC officials will talk to reports about this evolving story.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

A group of four studies led by University of Michigan researchers finds that beliefs about one's own aging are predictive of future health.

Self-perception affects a person's physical and mental well-being – from timeliness of seeking care to feelings about themselves, their partners, and other older adults.

Our guest will discuss how self-perceptions of aging affect health and the role the media plays in reinforcing those perceptions.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

AHCJ members are invited to participate in a free online demo of the LexisNexis news archives, which journalists use to research subjects and find sources for their work.

The webinar is being offered as part of a deal to get discounted access to LexisNexis, a program for AHCJ members arranged in partnership with the Contently Foundation, a New York nonprofit for investigative reporting. 

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

This Alliance for Health Policy webinar will unpack the knowns and unknowns heading into the upcoming Affordable Care Act marketplace open enrollment period that begins on Nov. 1.

We will examine what those currently enrolled in marketplace coverage and those planning to shop for coverage can expect when it comes to plan choices, costs, plan design, and help enrolling. 

This conversation with the California exchange director Peter Lee about lessons learned in the first years of enrollment, and how to apply them going forward in a different political climate.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

Next year, 2018, will mark 100 years since the Spanish flu swept the world, killing as many as 100 million people. Now that we are at the beginning of this year's flu season, what are the deadly strains that are circulating and how likely is a pandemic flu? What is the state of preparation if a pandemic flu in the United States if one were to strike? What about the world?

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

The Trump administration has told states to expect “more freedom to design programs that meet the spectrum of diverse needs of their Medicaid population.” Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration waivers have been available to states as long as the program has existed, but each administration takes its own approach to assessing waiver requests. 

This presentation will give attendees an understanding of the Medicaid waiver landscape heading into a busy fall, when precedent-setting decisions are expected on several states’ proposals.

Reporting on addiction can be challenging because there are so many facets to the big picture and so many pitfalls resulting from stigma about addiction.

Sometimes stories don't focus enough on withdrawal and recovery aspects of addiction. Sometimes an article inadvertently reinforces stereotypes or stigmatizing misconceptions, such as portraying addiction as a moral failing rather than a chronic disease.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

Public health experts from Purpose Built Communities and Build Healthy Places Network will offer journalists insights into growing efforts to tackle the social determinants of health with an eye on communities at-large.

Amid increasing recognition that one’s neighborhood can impact health as much as – if not more than – other medical factors, this webcast will look at specific steps some cities and other areas are taking to address health with a more holistic lens by looking at space, redevelopment, affordable housing and more.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

This webinar will focus on how the AHCA would impact states and Medicaid beneficiaries, how a system of per capita caps would work, what we learned from the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, and how states might respond to new waiver flexibility from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. We will examine these issues from both the federal and state perspective, and from the perspective of reporters covering this important issue.

Health policy is unpredictable in the Age of Trump. This webinar will look at recent developments in Washington, D.C. – and how they affect health coverage in states.

We’ll look at the current state of the Affordable Care Act, and likely changes to Medicaid.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

Online and social media platforms provide journalists with new ways of telling stories beyond the printed word. But journalists don’t have to invest in high priced professional video cameras or audio equipment to tell a multimedia story.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

This webinar looks ahead at the issues surrounding U.S. health care and at potential changes that Congress, the Trump administration, and the states will be likely to adopt in the coming months and years. 

What are the problems that persist in the health system, especially in the individual insurance market? What are the policy options to address them, through executive action, agency rulemaking, and legislation? 

Whether you are taking part in this year's PitchFest at Health Journalism 2017 or simply looking to improve your approach with other editors, this 60-minute webinar will help elevate your pitch to a story package that screams, "Commission this now!" You'll learn how to avoid common pitching  blunders, and how to best communicate your ideas.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

Writing in the newly released "Handbook of the Philosophy of Medicine," medical ethicist Arthur Caplan, Ph.D., head of the ethics program in the Global Institute for Public Health at New York University, contends that there is nothing natural about aging and that it serves no purpose.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

This webinar will present an overview of the individual and employer-based insurance markets before and after the ACA, and it will will look ahead at the choices both insurers and consumers must make for 2018 and beyond. 

This webcast will feature Beth Truett, president and chief executive officer of Oral Health America, a national advocacy organization that is focused upon improving the oral health of older Americans. Truett will talk about a growing push to add a dental benefit to Medicare and the findings of new research by her group on the oral health of multigenerational "grandfamilies."

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate.

Public health historians Gerald Markowitz and David Rosner, authors of “Lead Wars: The Politics of Science and the Fate of America's Children,” will offer their take on the nation’s long fight against lead poisoning and its devastating health impact.

Reporters will gain a better understanding about how the environment impacts the health struggles of various communities as well as how those health struggles have been tackled over time, particularly when it comes to children, race and equality.

The webcast will help provide context and ideas for those covering environmental health, public health or specific readership areas.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate.

This 30-minute webinar led by author and freelancer Brooke Borel, author of the recently published, “The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking” will provide step-by-step tips on how to check your story for errors, how to annotate your stories for a checker, materials you need and when to start annotating.

If you're one of the first 50 who log in to the webcast, you'll be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a copy of Borel’s book.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate.

Joanne Kenen will host a conversation with Katherine Hempstead, who directs the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's work on health insurance coverage, about the upcoming enrollment season – and some of the data the foundation has gathered to better understand the status of the insurance market.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate.

Nearly every health care reporter comes across this challenge daily: how to account for costs? Whether writing about the uninsured, drug prices, insurance plans or the business of heath care, journalists are constantly wading through complex web of pricing and related issues.

Consumer Union’s Lynn Quincy will discuss how to navigate the challenge of health care costs, from finding transparent information on costs and quality to understanding the wide price variations for seemingly similar care. 

This event is exclusively for AHCJ members so you will need your website login and password.

Dementia coaches help educate and train families, organizations and communities to view and treat people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias in best-practices dementia care. They do so in ways that maintain or improve the person’s lifestyle for as long as possible while maintaining his or her dignity.

This event is exclusively for AHCJ members so you will need your website login and password.

For journalists reporting on how payers, providers and patients are promoting discussions about treatment options and costs, AHCJ will host a webinar with Robert W. Carlson, M.D., chief executive officer of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

This event is exclusively for AHCJ members so you will need your website login and password.

Health journalists often need detailed, accurate information about health care providers.

Learn more about a new AHCJ membership benefit through the company Carevoyance, providing data covering hospitals, physicians, laboratories and other providers. 

This event is exclusively for AHCJ members so you will need your website login and password.

Social media, video and a host of other technological changes have a daily impact on health journalism coverage – but what about their messaging to patients, caregivers and others?

We will take a look at how the language and information facing today’s population is impacting people’s health across the country with Rima Rudd, a founder in the field of health literacy studies and a leading researcher exploring this aspect of health communication.

This event is exclusively for AHCJ members so you will need your website login and password.

The perfect story pitch needs to answer detailed questions in a relatively short word length: why this story; why this story is perfect for this particular publication; why this story needs to be covered now; and how this story has been covered in the past.

In this webcast, two experienced editors, Jessica Bylander of Health Affairs and Anna Maltby of Refinery29, will talk about pitching to their publications. They will also give advice on how to package a successful pitch, and how to package a successful story idea. 

This event is exclusively for AHCJ members so you will need your website login and password.

CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt oversees Medicaid, Medicare, Children's Health Insurance Program and the ACA health insurance exchanges. And he's deeply involved with CMS efforts to improve value and quality of U.S. health care by changing delivery models and payment incentives. He's talking to AHCJ members about what's ahead this year. 

The webcast will be moderated by Joanne Kenen, AHCJ's core topic leader on health reform and health editor at Politico.

This event is exclusively for AHCJ members so you will need your website login and password.

The Foodborne Outbreak Online Database (FOOD) Tool is a public tool that allows for a basic look at outbreak data between 1998 and 2014. The presenter will give a brief description of the surveillance system which collects this outbreak data and give a demonstration on how to use the FOOD Tool.

This event is exclusively for AHCJ members so you will need your website login and password.

This webcast features the team responsible for the recent seven-part Deadly Dentistry series featured in The Dallas Morning News. Reporter Brooks Egerton will talk about the deaths he investigated and the national pattern he described "in which state dental enforcers ignore many malpractice cases and leave the public in the dark.”

Collaborator and data journalist Daniel Lathrop will talk about state-by-state findings that were part of the series.

This event is exclusively for AHCJ members so you will need your website login and password.

Calling obesity an "epidemic" is almost a cliche in health reporting, but there is no question that obesity is linked to many serious health issues and quality of life, and obesity incidence has been increasing.

That reality has led to even more medical research into its causes, its treatment and management and the conditions obesity increases the risk of experiencing.

Obesity expert and physician Yoni Freedhoff will provide an overview of obesity research and explain what reporters need to know and look for in medical research about obesity.

This event is exclusively for AHCJ members so you will need your website login and password.

LGBTQ youth are at a higher risk for mental health, substance abuse and other health issues, yet are less likely to get health care. Despite growing attention to these health challenges, health care providers, insurers, families and even youth themselves are grappling with how to address such disparities.

Susan Heavey, AHCJ's topic leader on the social determinants of health and health disparities, will discuss ongoing and unique challenges facing LGBT youth with Lawrence D’Angelo, M.D., M.P.H., division chief of adolescent and young adult medicine at Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C and director of the hospital's Youth Pride Clinic.

This event is exclusively for AHCJ members so you will need your website login and password. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

Today, average life expectancy is almost 80 years. But, while we’ve added years to life we haven’t always made those extra years healthy and vigorous. Eighty percent of seniors have at least one major chronic condition, and half have two or more. Chronic diseases of later life cost our nation more than $1 trillion per year and will increase to $6 trillion by 2050.

A new frontier in science is revealing the “problem behind the problem” of chronic disease. “Geroscience” is the study of how the underlying processes of aging itself put us at risk to develop chronic disease. And it is on its way to modifying those processes through new medical strategies that could benefit millions.

This event is exclusively for AHCJ members so you will need your website login and password. If you don't have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

In November, the Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute (HCI3) will publish methodology that will allow consumers, health plans, provider organizations and others to better calculate complication rates for individual physicians.

AHCJ members are invited to a webcast with François de Brantes, HCI3’s executive director, who will explain the methodology and preview the results of the organization’s third annual State Report Card on Transparency of Physician Quality Information.

This year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS Now), a database and visualization tool that makes it quicker and easier to see how antibiotic resistance for four bacteria transmitted commonly through food has changed during the past 18 years.

In this short webcast, CDC personnel will demonstrate the tool and answer questions about how the data might be used.

NOTE: This is exclusively for AHCJ members; you will need to be logged in. If you're having trouble logging in, please email info@healthjournalism.org.

Join us for a webcast with François de Brantes on how health insurers and providers are making bundled payment work. 

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate.

Learn about insurance carriers in each state – their enrollment, premiums, claims and several measures of utilization. Katherine Hempstead, of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, will share data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate.

AHCJ will host a webcast especially for independent journalists who are planning to take part in the Freelance PitchFest. Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate.

Reforms to the health care delivery system have been overshadowed by the ACA enrollment story. Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate.

Tune in Feb. 2

Elder abuse affects an estimated one in 10 older adults in the U.S., according to the National Center on Elder Abuse. That does not include financial exploitation. Advocates say much more can and should be done. 

NOTE: This is exclusively for AHCJ members; you will need to be logged in. If you're having trouble logging in, please email info@healthjournalism.org.

Tune in Jan. 27

In advance of February, Children’s Dental Health Month, Shelly Gehshan, director of Pew’s children’s dental campaign, will discuss the latest research on oral health and how it may impact policy in the states. NOTE: AHCJ member name and password required.

Recorded Nov. 11

Media audiences far away from west Africa are seeing more and more Ebola-related stories in their own states or communities. What do reporters need to know? AHCJ members will get some help sorting out the answers to that question in this webcast.

NOTE: This is exclusively for AHCJ members; you will need to be logged in. If you're having trouble logging in, please email info@healthjournalism.org.

This webinar will clarify what reporters need to know about the science and pseudo-science behind water fluoridation. NOTE: AHCJ member name and password required.

This discussion will cover the upcoming 2nd ACA enrollment period. NOTE: This is exclusively for AHCJ members; will need your username and password. If you don't have that, please email info@healthjournalism.org.

Frailty is associated with greater mortality, chronic disease burden, risk of infections, falls, and hospitalization. NOTE: This is exclusively for AHCJ members; will need your username and password. If you don't have that, please email info@healthjournalism.org.

A. Mark Fendrick, M.D., director of the Center for Value-Based Insurance Design, will explain the principals of VBID and why this strategy is important for consumers. NOTE: This is exclusively for AHCJ members so you will need to have your website username and password. If you don't have that, please email info@healthjournalism.org.

Studies show that seniors in nursing homes often go without dental care. Experts will look at the need for oral health services in nursing homes and steps that are being taken to get this care to patients.

This will be an event exclusively for AHCJ members so you will need your username and password for the website. If you don’t have that information, please reset your password using the one-click login option or contact info@healthjournalism.org.

What is it really like to be a family caregiver for someone with dementia or serious illness? What are some of the key issues that aren't being discussed? And how can journalists better bring untold caregiver stories to light? 

This will be an event exclusively for AHCJ members so you will need your username and password for the website. If you don’t have that information, please reset your password using the one-click login option or contact info@healthjournalism.org.

As the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services prepares to release payment information for individual doctors, AHCJ will host a webcast to help reporters find the stories in the data.

The CMS data includes the number and type of services provided, and the amount paid for those services delivered in 2012. Journalists can use this data to help consumers to make more informed choices about the care they receive. AHCJ has long advocated for the release of this data.

This will be an event for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your website login information to participate.

AHCJ will host a webcast especially for independent journalists who are planning to take part in the Freelance PitchFest at Health Journalism 2014. Our panel of editors will give their best advice on how to make your pitch communicate a story, and impress them in the process. Note: This webcast is for AHCJ members, so you will need to have your login and password to participate.

How does the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force come to its determinations and how can you report on the science and not just the heat a recommendation generates? You will need your AHCJ user name and password for access.

Medicare reform is a hot topic, ith both political parties proposing raising the Medicare eligibility age and premiums on older adults, among other changes. Two experts will help AHCJ members understand the issues. This is an event for AHCJ members so you will need your AHCJ user name and password to access the webcast. Click here if you need help or contact info@healthjournalism.org.

For years, health insurers and employers have been shifting the responsibility to pay for care to consumers and employees. AHCJ will explore the need for information on the cost of care in this webcast. This is an event for members so you will need to log in. Click here if you need help logging in or contact info@healthjournalism.org.

We’ll get early assessments of whether health care reform is actually getting dental care to more kids, through private insurance and Medicaid expansions. 

This is an event for AHCJ members so you will need your AHCJ user name and password to access the webcast. Make sure you have that information beforehand. Click here if you need help or contact info@healthjournalism.org.

Freelancers often walk a fine line between doing work that pays the bills and doing work that helps them reach their creative and career goals. Reporting fellowships are a way to do both. There are a number of reporting fellowships out there, and most are open to freelancers. But how do you make yourself stand out? How do you line up the clients, the story ideas and the plans for doing a fellowship, all while maintaining your other freelance work?

A recording of this webcast is now available for AHCJ members. 

Nearly one in five uninsured Americans live in rural areas, and a greater proportion of rural residents lacks health insurance compared with the proportion of urban residents without health care coverage. One of the goals of the Affordable Care Act is help make health insurance coverage affordable and accessible for the approximately 60 million Americans who live in rural areas.

You will need your AHCJ user name and password to access the webcast, so make sure you have that information beforehand. Click here if you need help.

CMS officials answered questions from reporters about the federal health insurance marketplace. Reporters had direct, on-the-record access to Gary Cohen, deputy administrator and director, Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, and Julie Bataille, director, CMS Office of Communications.

A recording of this briefing is now available to AHCJ members.

Reporting on end-of-life issues can be touchy for everyone involved and journalists need to handle issues of death and dying with sensitivity and skill. Understanding the processes, both clinical and legal, the nuances, and methods to manage such emotional issues with patients, families, and care providers, will result in more effective and powerful stories. 

Sharpen your reporting skills and learn more about treatment decision making, health care near the end of life, hospice and palliative care and ethical issues that accompany them.

Join us for a webcast on Wednesday Aug. 7 at 8 a.m. PDT/11 a.m. EDT. Our panelists will be V.J. Periyakoil, M.D., director of Palliative Care Education and Training at Stanford University; Nancy Berlinger, Ph.D, a research scholar at The Hastings Center and an author on end-of-life care; and Lisa Krieger  a San Jose Mercury News health reporter whose multi-part series on death and dying chronicled her personal experiences with the process.  Liz Seegert, AHCJ's topic leader on aging will moderate.

For freelancers and potential freelancers, pitching is job No. 1. AHCJ knows that; that’s why every year, our annual Health Journalism conference offers Freelance PitchFest, which puts you face-to-face with some of the biggest health editors in the country. Members attending Pitchfest know they have to be ready to make a good impression in minutes — and members who won’t be attending the conference, but are busy freelancers, want to know more about pitching too.

AHCJ has your back with a webcast on pitching health stories that sell, featuring some top editors.

One key issue addressed at the recent World Economic Forum was the rapidly increasing global aging population; and how to prepare for its profound impact on global health, as well as the direct economic, social and political implications.

Global experts from the WEF Global Agenda Council on Ageing led this discussion in Davos and presented a new report outlining key challenges/opportunities associated with global aging, including how to improve healthy aging through the innovation of global health systems and investment in long-term health options; as well as specific initiatives to seize the social and economic opportunity created by the aging population.  

AHCJ members are invited to a webinar with leaders from the WEF Council on Ageing to discuss these topics and share specific outcomes from their discussion in Davos

Today, Americans are living 30 years longer than their ancestors did just four generations ago. Yet policymakers have been slow to recognize the implications of this unprecedented increase in longevity.

As a result, social institutions of all kinds – workplaces, communities, families, educational organizations, health care providers – haven’t yet adapted to the challenges and opportunities posed by America’s aging population. Nor is there any consensus over what successful adaptation might look like.

In this webcast, three experts will discuss noteworthy trends and research in aging, including a recent study on troubling disparities in life expectancy that was featured on the front page of The New York Times. Judith Graham, AHCJ’s topic leader on aging, will moderate.

This AHCJ webcast will examine one big piece of the puzzle: what this election’s outcome means for seniors on Medicare, older adults who receive long-term care services from Medicaid and other programs that serve our elderly population.

Just days after the November elections, states will have to make final (or reasonably final) decisions about whether they are going to run their own health insurance exchange and what that will look like – or whether the federal government will take responsibility for all or part of the exchange.

We’ll talk to three experts who are doing hands-on work with both “red” and “blue” states.

A recording of this webinar is available.

AHCJ members took advantage of an exclusive on-the-record conversation with Farzad Mostashari, M.D., national coordinator for health information technology, and other officials with the HHS Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

View and learn how to use an updated “Health IT Dashboard” to find local-level information for your stories.

AHCJ will hold a members-only call with CMS officials to discuss major upgrades to Nursing Home Compare and Hospital Compare websites.

Join AHCJ on Thursday, July 19, at 11:30 a.m. ET, for an exclusive members-only conversation with officials from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services about the rollout of major new additions to the Nursing Home Compare and Hospital Compare websites. You won't want to miss this.

Many of you are familiar with the Compare websites as sources for information about nursing home citations, hospital patient satisfaction scores, as well as mortality and readmission information. CMS has redesigned the sites and will be launching them on Thursday.

Click here to log in for more information and the chance to test your browser in advance.

To assist reporters who will need to localize the decision, AHCJ will host a webcast with experts to offer suggestions on stories you can pursue right away and in the weeks ahead. The event will take place at noon ET on June 29, the day after the court releases its ruling.

Does your local hospital place more cardiac stents than others? Do more of its patients leave the emergency room without being seen? Does it have a high level of C-section births? These questions and others are relatively easy to answer thanks to a data gold mine kept by the obscure California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. It doesn't matter if your hospital is public, nonprofit or for-profit, data on its patients and services are available online.

Charles Ornstein, senior reporter at ProPublica and president of AHCJ's board of directors, will guide you through using the data to answer those questions and more.

What do current Medicare beneficiaries think of the program? What do they like and don't like? How would they change their coverage if they could? Experts will explore the high out-of-pocket costs some beneficiaries still must still pay and whether they have too many choices for supplemental and drug coverage. What are the prospects for preventive care services that many beneficiaries say they want? Experts will also look at the long-term prospects for Medicare.

Our panel of experts and journalists will discuss these issues and more with an eye toward what journalists need to know to best inform their readers and viewers.

Send questions in advance to talkinghealth@healthjournalism.org.

A webinar for journalists

There's little question that health reform has dominated the news this summer, but is the coverage tackling the right issues? Join us for a "Talking Health" webinar, presented by AHCJ, The Commonwealth Fund, and the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, to find out what top journalists think of the coverage of this complicated policy debate.

Health reform is picking up steam in Congress. A major flash point in the coming debate is whether employers and individuals should be able to obtain health insurance through a public plan that is similar to Medicare, as well as private insurance from commercial carriers.

Our next Talking Health program will feature two experts: Cathy Schoen, senior vice president for research and evaluation at The Commonwealth Fund, and Bruce M. Bullen, chief operating officer of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. They will be on hand to offer their judgments on what we can expect. Our two journalist experts, Noam Levey, a reporter at the Los Angeles Times; and Ceci Connolly, a staff writer at The Washington Post; will provide their insights and suggestions for covering what will be a major story in the coming months.

The speakers will answer questions submitted before and during the webcast.

Obama presidency: Does his health plan stand a chance?

What lies ahead for health reform? The candidates made lots of promises during the campaign and now the time has come to deliver on them. Will the new president really be able to bring insurance coverage to more Americans given the country's other financial problems and the growing deficit? Will we again fall back on an incremental approach?

Our next Talking Health program will feature two experts who have been following the politics of health reform for a long time and two journalists who will give suggestions for covering the story for the next year nationally and locally. They will be taking questions from the audience, so submit questions today!

AHCJ, The Commonwealth Fund, and the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism will present Talking Health, a webcast for members that will explore the growing problem of the underinsured – those who have insurance but are still at risk for substantial out-of-pocket expenses.

Get MP3 and Flash presentations from the 2007 Urban Health Journalism Workshop. Topics include the health issues of children, seniors and immigrants in urban settings, as well as obesity, mental health, disaster preparedness and the mapping of local health data.

Multimedia presentations are now available from this workshop, the third of its kind presented in California by AHCJ over the past year, was sponsored by The California Endowment. Logistical support also came from The Maynard Institute for Journalism Education.

Audio is now available from the AHCJ San Francisco Bay Area Chapter meeting on Sept. 5 at the Kaiser Family Foundation about "Universal health coverage in California and the U.S.: Will it happen, when, and what will it look like?"

AHCJ and the Kaiser Family Foundation hosted this interactive roundtable webcast on March 6, 2007. Trudy Lieberman, president of AHCJ's board of directors, moderates a panel of experts discussing what journalists need to know about covering SCHIP.

With the State Children's Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) up for reauthorization, this roundtable - a partnership between the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Kaiser Family Foundation - focuses on what journalists need to know about covering SCHIP in their states. Health reform proposals announced by would-be presidential candidates call for expanding coverage through SCHIP.

Hospital emergency rooms are under siege. Some inner city hospitals are losing on-call specialists to treat severely injured patients or must pay high prices to keep them. In some parts of the country, ambulance diversions are continuing. So are wallet biopsies which telegraph to hospitals who can pay and who cannot. Changes to Medicaid mandated by the Deficit Reduction Act could affect the care those on Medicaid will receive. Technology and emergency room care will become more expensive, raising the question: “Who will fund this place of last resort as the move to market-driven health care rushes ahead? “

A roundtable focusing on the new Medicare prescription drug benefit known as Part D, designed to help Medicare beneficiaries pay for their medications.

This roundtable focuses on health savings accounts and related approaches advocated by the Bush Administration and others to address rising health care costs and lack of coverage for the uninsured. Webcast and transcript available.