Health Roots
Mental Health Archives - KFF Health News KFF Health News produces in-depth journalism on health issues and is a core operating program of KFF.
- HealthQ Special: Caregiving in the Sandwich Generationby Cara Anthony on July 2, 2026 at 9:00 am
Join the conversation as the HealthQ team explores the messiness, humor, and satisfaction that comes with caregiving when you’re sandwiched between aging parents and growing kids.
- Newsom Vowed To Transform Kids’ Mental Health. Many California Schools Are Still Waiting.by Christine Mai-Duc on July 1, 2026 at 9:00 am
Gov. Gavin Newsom launched an ambitious initiative to make public schools the epicenter of mental health services for young people. Five years after he promised transformation, many schools have struggled to get the program up and running, and hundreds more have yet to try.
- Opioid Settlement Money Pays for Services To Battle Addiction in Rural Kentuckyby Taylor Sisk on June 25, 2026 at 9:00 am
A program in rural eastern Kentucky is receiving opioid settlement funding to address substance use disorders, housing, hunger, and other challenges.
- Even in Blue States, Hospitals Have Continued To Drop Gender-Affirming Care for Youthsby Karen Brown, New England Public Media on June 24, 2026 at 9:00 am
Massachusetts passed laws and joined lawsuits to protect access to gender-affirming care for minors. But faced with the Trump administration’s threats, some hospitals voluntarily stopped care. Families are outraged.
- Arrests of Immigrant Parents Create Mental Health Crisis for Childrenby Claudia Boyd-Barrett on June 18, 2026 at 9:00 am
An estimated hundreds of thousands of children, many of them U.S. citizens, have been separated from a parent in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Their distress manifests in physical and mental health symptoms including developmental regression, stomachaches, sleep problems, and falling grades. Research points to long-term health consequences.
- Sandwiched Between Caring for Kids and Aging Parents? Reach Out for Resourcesby Cara Anthony on June 18, 2026 at 9:00 am
Squeezed between their young children and aging parents, the sandwich generation is juggling a lot. KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony discusses embracing her identity as a caregiver and which resources are available to Washington, D.C., residents caring for family members.
- Trivia Nights, Valentine’s Cards: Overlooked Social Connections Can Prevent Suicideby Aneri Pattani on June 9, 2026 at 9:00 am
The research is clear: Among the various complex issues that contribute to suicide, loneliness is a big one. Now, there’s a growing push to address loneliness not just through personal choices but also through public policy.
- RFK Jr. Seeks To Peek at Americans’ Medical Records for Clues on Autism and Vaccinesby Amanda Seitz on June 4, 2026 at 9:00 am
To collect and scrutinize millions of Americans’ health data, U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. aims to work with state organizations that help health systems share medical records. In Nebraska, millions in federal dollars has flowed into one nonprofit cooperating with Kennedy’s project.
- Watch: The Tug-of-War Over Taxpayer Dollarson May 20, 2026 at 9:00 am
Podcast host Julie Rovner chats with Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a top Democrat on health issues, about President Donald Trump’s stewardship of federal spending and the effectiveness of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
- Kids Keep Getting Stuck in Hospitals, Even After Being Cleared for Dischargeby Cara Anthony on May 18, 2026 at 9:00 am
Some children are healthy enough to leave the hospital after a medical stay but have no place to go. Across the country, the practice of allowing children to remain hospitalized “beyond medical necessity” has become a costly problem, and states have struggled to address the issue.









