Vulnerable Populations, Audio

NPR has many health care stories from New Orleans including audio files and Web-exclusive photos and written essays. Read excerpts from Dr. Hemant Vankawala's e-mail messages to his family about lacking basic supplies but, with 30 other health care givers on his team, trying to treat thousands evacuees and watching many die.

This show presents a debate between students in support of and against abstinece only sexual education in schools. In this excerpt, Maribel Paramo asks high school students about the importance of friends in their search for sexual information. (2:32)

A first-person story by teen producers from Youthtopia about the dangers of allowing yourself to become bored in the summer. (7:15)

Youthtopia feature interview by project Director Rachel Anne Goodman with a young woman trying to escape the gang life in which members of her own family participate. (4:39)

Hispanic people run a high risk of becoming diabetics and the National Diabetes Education Program is addressing this situation. As part of their campaign, they offer a free music CD to encourage Hispanics to become more physically active. With performances by various Hispanic musicians, key messages are promoted. An insert gives tips on including the music and activity into every-day tasks and special events.

How many times have you heard this: "If you don't have a car, you can't get around in the North Country." Buses are few and far between. Taxis are scarce and expensive. Most towns are not designed with the pedestrian in mind. It can takes hours, or even a whole day, to run an errand or make an appointment that in a car would take minutes. And limited transportation options restrict job opportunities. For people with disabilities, and especially people who use wheelchairs, these problems are magnified. Accessible vans and ambulettes are plentiful for Medicaid funded trips to the doctor or case manager. But there are few – if any – options for the errands and visits and excursions of everyday life. People with disabilities are too often restricted to their homes, isolated from and invisible to their communities. As part of our series Disability Matters, David Sommerstein reports on one man's efforts to get around on his own. (7:41)

Women with Turner's Syndrome—the disease affects only women—have a damaged X chromosome. Symptoms include infertility, depression and health problems, such as brittle bones and heart ailments. Rebecca Shaney lives in Watertown. She wasn't diagnosed with Turner's until she was 28. When she was 29, she got her master's degree in French. Rebecca is, in her own words, obsessed with French. She's always wanted to be a French teacher. She has taught after school and tutored and been a sub, but she's never landed a full time teaching job. Meanwhile she's cleaned offices, washed dishes, and cashiered. She's currently on disability for a broken hip. She lives well under the poverty line. Rebecca had another job interview this month; we gave her a tape recorder the week before. She brings us this audio diary. (5:03)

This Public Service Announcement provides a message about substance use during pregnancy, tailored to African American audiences. (1:03)

Public Service Announcement about prenatal care produced for Spanish-speaking audiences. (0:30)