“‘No Mercy’ Chapter 5: With Rural Hospital Gone, Cancer Care Means a Daylong Trek”
Kaiser Health News/Saint Louis Public Radio
Awarded with Taunya English and Greg Munteanu
In this piece, Sarah Jane Tribble, Taunya English, and Greg Munteanu explore the challenges faced by rural Americans facing cancer diagnoses and treatments. The story follows a 65-year-old woman with blood cancer who initially received her weekly chemotherapy treatment at her local hospital. After that hospital closed, she had to seek treatment farther away, turning what was a 30-minute appointment into a three-hour commitment. Tribble rides along during the journey, expertly documenting the experience of a woman forced to travel great distances for her cancer treatments. With story editing from English and a masterful sound mix from Munteanu, this podcast episode highlights the often-unseen barriers that cancer survivors who live in rural areas face and the disparities in cancer incidence and outcomes that these populations experience.
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