Drew Hawkins
Health Equity Reporter, Gulf States NewsroomDrew Hawkins is the health equity 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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Delaney Nolan discusses her report for The Guardian that revealed a spike in heat-related illness calls among New Orleans’ unhoused people this summer.
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For one family of farmers in Louisiana, this year’s record-breaking extreme heat is taking a toll on both their crops and their health.
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The Claiborne Avenue Alliance hopes a study on the health impacts caused by the expressway will support efforts to remediate and potentially remove the highway.
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Mississippi has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the country. The state is taking a community-centered approach to improving the health of Black moms and babies.
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Factors like the cost of treatment, the location of clinics and a lack of specialized doctors have contributed to the lack of care across the country.
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With dangerously high temperatures across the country, hospitals are seeing more people with potentially deadly heat illness. A southern city is coping with what may be the new summer medical reality.
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Like other places, New Orleans has seen record numbers of people falling ill with heat-related conditions. First responders and hospitals race to respond with ice, fluids, and air conditioning.
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Dow Chemical says the air quality at a plant in Louisiana is safe following a July 14 explosion, but nearby residents remain skeptical based on past incidents.
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Hospitals throughout the U.S. are seeing increases in patients with heat illnesses this summer. We look at how New Orleans is coping with the rise in heat-related EMS calls and ER visits.
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Louisiana will get $325M from a major opioid settlement. Advocates want to know how it will be spentLouisiana sheriffs will receive 20% of the state’s opioid settlement funds but are not required to report how it’s spent, raising concern for advocates.