The many impacts of living with chronic illness
60% of people say they or someone in their immediate family has a chronic health condition that requires ongoing medical treatment.
Health journalism typically focuses on tips for avoiding temporary ailments, like the flu, or on major lethal conditions like cancer. In the middle, there’s chronic illness.
The CDC defines chronic illness as conditions that last at least one year and require ongoing medical attention or limit activities of daily living or both. Chronic illness shows up in a wide variety of ways, some completely debilitating, some pretty manageable, and some volatile depending on the day. Approximately 129 million Americans have at least one chronic condition like hypertension, arthritis, or diabetes. In 2018, KFF found that 60% of people say they or someone in their immediate family has a chronic health condition that requires ongoing medical treatment.
There should be more coverage of chronic illness and the sectors it impacts: work productivity, financial debt and the ability to save, social isolation, to name a few. St. Louis-based writer Kathleen Lees aims to take a piece of that. Her newsletter Chronically Called explores what it means to live with a chronic illness. She interviewed me for this month’s Q&A where we talked about how living with severe endometriosis has shaped how I spend my time, energy, and money.
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What I’m reading
Status: Jim VandeHei dishes on 2024, future of TV news, Big Tech, and more (this is a master class in answering questions about other companies)
Nieman Lab: One year in, the Israel-Gaza war has cost more than 120 journalists their lives
Aftermath: What If There Are No Opportunities
Grist: Climate change is destroying American homes. Who should have to move?
Charter: 3 ways to accelerate the advancement of women at work
Harvard Business Review: A Simple Way to Introduce Yourself
CNBC: Companies are changing their hiring plans ahead of the election
J+ Executive Program: Inside the Minds of News Industry Leaders
And a bonus link: This epic cover from New York was out of date almost immediately after publishing because the sprawl of this story is so wild.
One more thing
We are less than a month out from Election Day. Have you seen a great voter guide or service-oriented tool? Reply with your favorites, and I’ll curate them in the next edition.
See you next week,
Rachel
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