Patty Wight
Patty is a graduate of the University of Vermont and a multiple award-winning reporter for Maine Public Radio. Her specialty is health coverage: from policy stories to patient stories, physical health to mental health and anything in between. Patty joined Maine Public Radio in 2012 after producing stories as a freelancer for NPR programs such as Morning Edition and All Things Considered. She got hooked on radio at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine, and hasn’t looked back ever since.
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Is it possible to have calm, in-depth discussions about a fraught issue like abortion? Maine's Planned Parenthood thinks so, and is using "deep canvassing" to garner support without confrontation. -
Statewide, the COVID vaccination rate for first responders is more than 95%. But it's not as high in more rural areas, where ambulance crews can't function if just a few people quit. -
In Maine, EMTs and paramedics are part of the COVID vaccine mandate for health care workers. The deadline is looming, and some ambulance crews say coworkers have quit rather than get vaccinated.
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Many faith leaders may believe churches are singled out for blame, but one Baptist pastor in Maine called for safety precautions after members tested positive for the coronavirus. -
Maine passed a law last year to increase childhood immunization rates. The law, not yet in effect, forbids religious and philosophical exemptions. Attempts to repeal the law failed on Super Tuesday -
Winters are warming faster than summers in many places, and colder parts of the U.S. are warming faster than hotter ones. The warming winter climate has year-round consequences across the country. -
Maine elected a wave of Democratic women to state office in 2018. They've pushed Maine to join a handful of other states shoring up the right to an abortion ahead of expected Supreme Court challenges. -
Isolation is a part of life for many seniors, but a national program helps curb the loneliness by pairing homebound residents with peers, who make weekly visits. -
The recent deaths of two Maine children from abuse have called into question whether the state — which had knowledge of the cases — handled them properly.
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Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, won't promote opioids to doctors anymore. In Maine, physicians say the change should have happened long ago.
