Drew Hawkins
Public Health Reporter, Gulf States NewsroomDrew Hawkins is the public health reporter for the Gulf States Newsroom, a collaboration among public radio stations in Louisiana (WWNO and WRKF), Alabama (WBHM) and Mississippi (MPB-Mississippi Public Broadcasting) and NPR. He covers stories related to health care access and outcomes across the region, with a focus on the social factors that drive disparities.
Before joining the team, Drew freelanced for multiple outlets including The Guardian, Scalawag Magazine, Louisiana Illuminator, Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting, LitHub, and others.
Drew was born in Lafayette, grew up in LaPlace and moved to Ponchatoula after Katrina. He studied creative writing at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA), and earned degrees at LSU in Baton Rouge. In short, he is a proud product of South Louisiana.
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When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Antigravity Magazine played a vital role in helping local media dispel rumors and keep their audience informed. -
Data from climate scientists show that the heat is turning up in New Orleans, and the rate that it’s increasing is getting faster. Here’s why. -
OD2A funds helped Alabama make naloxone more widely available last year. Health experts say it's responsible for a promising downturn in overdose deaths. -
The Democratic leader’s speech at CrescentCare was part of a national tour aimed at elevating health care as a defining issue ahead of the 2026 elections. -
Christina Dent talks about founding End It For Good, her journey to rethinking drugs and addiction and how Mississippi can change its approach, too -
Despite the opioid crisis’ deadly toll, U.S police treat drug use as a criminal issue. But in the Netherlands, a public health approach has seen better results. -
Nurses across the U.S. protested outside of the offices of senators Tuesday. Cassidy voted in favor of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed 51-50. -
Alabama has 44 certified SANEs for the entire state. Louisiana has 42. Mississippi only has 6 — for a population of almost three million. -
State lawmakers — both Republican and Democrat — are sounding the alarm on proposed cuts that could strip Medicaid coverage from nearly 190,000 Louisianans. -
The Netherlands has proven drug use harm reduction works. So why does it still face stigma, criminalization and political resistance in the Gulf South?
