ICYMI: refugees, victims of trafficking/domestic violence & certain other LEGAL #immigrants will lose health insurance entirely in October 2026 under the federal law Pres. Trump signed in July to drastically cut #Medicaid. My story @njspotlightnews.org www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/07/thou...

Because starving people to death is cruel and inhumane. Period. Thank you @bflanagannj.bsky.social and @njspotlightnews.org for continuing to cover this story.

Planned Parenthood sought to block the government’s suspension of payments, which it called a “backdoor abortion ban.” via @lilohstainton.bsky.social: www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/07/what...

And whose tip led to this story? Thank you @johnreitmeyer.bsky.social!

Court rules NJ hospitals must maintain charity care www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/07/cour... via @lilohstainton.bsky.social

Housing program for homeless people loses all state funding The Camden Coalition’s housing-first service gets zero in state budget @njspotlightnews.org With reporting from @lilohstainton.bsky.social www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/07/zero...

It may be a partial win for @ppfa.org - but it's tough news for @ppncsnj.bsky.social and #PlannedParenthood of Metro #NJ. However ALL patients, including those with #Medicaid, still welcome at 20 sites in NJ, the group says. My story via @njspotlightnews.org njspotlightnews.org/2025/07/what...

"The Black business community wanted more from Sherrill Monday. In fact, it increasingly wants more from a Democratic party it feels has taken their vote for granted for far too long." Via Tom Bergeron #BINJE binje.com/sherrill-str...

No room in #NJ's $58 billion+ budget for this proven program that saves lives and improves communities. But @camdencoalition.bsky.social is now looking for other funds to sustain #housingfirst. Via @bobby-brier.bsky.social @njspotlightnews.org www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/07/zero...

"It just feels like we're throwing in the towel exactly when we were beginning to make progress," one doctor said. Great @npr.org story about DOGE-driven funding cuts to a fentanyl OD-prevention program called OD2A that supports local treatment, surveillance and more. www.npr.org/2025/07/16/n...

NJ's nurse home visiting program for new moms shows early impact www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/07/fami... via @lilohstainton.bsky.social

Nurses say this program is already making a difference in a state with high maternal mortality rates, especially for Black women. But can #NJ continue to expand and sustain #FamilyConnects, especially once its biggest champion is gone? @njspotlightnews.org www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/07/fami...

This is your sign to kill your lawn and plant native wildflower seeds!

Older residents & people with disabilities can save money without leaving home! #NJSave is an online application that can help you save money on: 🩺Medicare premiums 💊prescription costs 💵 and other living expenses. 🔗 Apply today, visit: njsave.org

Growing research warns extreme heat can also harm maternal and infant health, contributing to lower birth weights, increases in preterm births and stillbirths, and increased hypertension among mothers. Rising global temperatures are amplifying the dangers.

I learned lots reporting this story, including that nighttime temps need to drop below 75 degrees for the human body to truly rest and recover.😲 Big thanks to Melba Newsome (who did the hard work) and the @climatecentral.org team. www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/07/preg...

“She pled not guilty because she is NOT GUILTY” @replamonica.bsky.social’s attorney told crowds in #Newark #NJ today. Story from @njspotlightnews.org’s Joanna Gagis. www.njspotlightnews.org/video/lamoni...

Created in the wake of 9/11 and considered a "hidden gem" of the state's COVID-19 response, NJ's EMS Task Force is now running out of money. Via @njspotlightnews.org www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/06/new-...

ICYMI: my podcast debut with @njspotlightnews.org's #HeyNJ is a story about how a tailored use of technology is helping methadone patients in #NJ to live fuller, more productive lives. Check it out! heynj.podbean.com/e/tktktk/

An expert advisory panel's strategic plan for using NJ's share of $1.3 billion from national opioid settlement lawsuits calls for more supportive housing, harm reduction programs and best-practice training for treatment providers, reports @lilohstainton.bsky.social @njspotlightnews.org

Great breakdown of what RFK's dismissal of the vaccine advisory panel will actually mean for public health in America. And it's not a pretty picture. @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/h...

Everyone in America, regardless of immigration status, is entitled to basic rights and protections defined in the Constitution.  Know your rights. Share widely.

Taking the handcuffs off methadone treatment, 'game-changer' for patients www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/06/meth... via @lilohstainton.bsky.social

These primary elections got the attention of New Jersey voters, most of whom tend to ignore nonfederal election years, and primaries in particular. But this year was different. @colleenodea.bsky.social @njspotlightnews.org www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/06/nj-p...

ICYMI: “It felt like these patients had this really difficult decision of, pursue #recovery success or pursue life success.” That could be changing in #NJ, thanks in part to a new online platform designed just for #methadone programs. @njspotlightnews.org www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/06/meth...

Oh wow. Health secretary RFK Jr. abruptly fires CDC vaccine advisory panel, via @statnews.com

The proposed budget includes cuts to a key Amtrak line that bisects New Jersey, more money for immigrant detention sites like Newark’s Delaney Hall and [it places the future of] the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island at risk. @bhulac.bsky.social www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/06/new-...

NJ will receive $1.18B over 18 years, the result of several multistate court settlements with opioid makers and distributors who were found to have failed to properly protect communities from their highly addictive pharmaceuticals, reports @lilohstainton.bsky.social @njspotlightnews.org.

“We don’t want people who are out there doing this great work to feel they are alone out there,” said Elizabeth Burke Beaty, the founder and president of Sea Change, a recovery and harm reduction organization in Ocean County. @njspotlightnews.org www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/06/nj-a...

“We know that #COVID is bad for the mother; it’s bad for the baby,” Monmouth County pediatrician Dr. Meg Fisher said. “This is a decision that makes absolutely no sense.” @njspotlightnews.org #vaccines www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/05/robe...

ICYMI: Cutting people from #Medicaid may reduce the taxpayer's tab up front, but those #healthcare needs don't disappear. People will still get sick and need care; chronic diseases will still need treatment. So who pays? @njspotlightnews.org #NewJersey www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/05/how-...

What GOP's Medicaid cuts could cost NJ www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/05/nj-c... via @lilohstainton.bsky.social

For active local workers, New Jersey spends 60% more on coverage through these state-run health plans than the national average cost for public worker insurance, according to the Department of the Treasury's white paper. @lilohstainton.bsky.social

A potential #publichealth nightmare: #measles exposure at the sold-out (and five hour long) Shakira concert at MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, #NJ on Thursday May 15. If you were there, NJ Dept. of Health has details on what to watch for in the weeks to come: www.nj.gov/health/news/...

The childcare crisis continues, some advocates say, and it could get much worse in #NJ if the state doesn't find more funding for subsidies and provider support. @njspotlightnews.org @acnjforkids.bsky.social www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/05/njs-...

Major cuts to Medicaid may impact coverage for the almost 1 in 5 Medicare beneficiaries (11.9 million) who are also enrolled in Medicaid. See how many are in your congressional district:

NJ Dept. of Banking & Insurance leaders join #healthinsurance officials in other states to call on congress to renew tax credits in order to prevent a surge in premium costs. In #NJ cost increases would average 110% w/o federal action. @njspotlightnews.org www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/05/nj-r...

Facing cuts as Gov. Murphy pushes to shrink NJ's structural budget gap is a partnership involving Rutgers U, the Cancer Institute of NJ and the state DOH that has provided free cancer tests to thousands lacking insurance, reports @njspotlightnews.org colleague @lilohstainton.bsky.social .

ICYMI: “I came from a safety-net #hospital and I feel like in a lot of ways I’m coming home,” University Hospital interim CEO Dr. Kaitlan Baston said. She is the #Newark hospital's 5th CEO in six years; the 3rd who has also run NJDOH. @njspotlightnews.org www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/05/will...

♿👩🏻‍🦯🦻🦿New Jersey is committed to being a safe, accessible, and affordable place for all, including those living with disabilities. 💻Visit the Disability Information Hub at nj.gov/disabilities to find services for individuals with disabilities and those who support them.

“I would hate to see the progress made in the last 20 years to advance practices, policies and programs that uplift families limited or eliminated by current federal spending decisions. But it’s the reality we’re facing right now.” @njspotlightnews.org www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/04/fede...

Yesterday @govmurphy.bsky.social announced state Health Commissioner Dr. Kaitlan Baston would be departing to be interim CEO at University Hospital, Newark. Today he named a new acting commissioner, current deputy chief Jeff Brown, the onetime cannabis tsar. www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/04/anot...

After decades of planning & years of building @govmurphy.bsky.social signs a law designed to integrate the work of #NJ's public health institute w/ state health operations. My latest story on the institute & its rocky launch via @njspotlightnews.org www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/01/will...

How Many Scaramucci's For Pete ? They should have listened to his mother from the beginning ... #MomSky

“Global diseases for a global event,” NJ Health Commissioner Dr. Baston said. “Our ability to detect, track and respond to health threats depends on investments we make now. We cannot build this plane as we fly it." @njspotlightnews.bsky.social #PublicHealth www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/04/offi...

“Many young professionals are leaving because they cannot afford to purchase here, or even rent here,” said Miosha Lawrence, with Camden-based Parkside Business & Community in Partnership. @johnreitmeyer.bsky.social @njspotlightnews.bsky.social www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/04/is-n...

ICYMI: Groundbreaking this summer for #NJ #maternalhealth center, a key step in bringing birthing facilities back to #Trenton. Plus RWJ Foundation will provide money for the coming year of work to improve birth outcomes statewide. @njspotlightnews.bsky.social www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/04/cons...

Veterans of Trenton’s culture wars over parental rights, gender policies and medical freedoms want to drive Republican voters to the polls for the gubernatorial primary. So they sent a litmus test of questions to three top GOP candidates for governor. www.njspotlightnews.org/video/parent...

The Vice President of El Salvador has told US Senator Van Hollen that the reason they are still holding Kilmar Abrego Garcia is due to the Trump regime paying them to do so. Trump needs to be arrested and brought up on human trafficking charges. #3E