Author

Christina Saint Louis, KFF Health News

Christina Saint Louis, KFF Health News

Christina Saint Louis is a correspondent for KFF Health News, covering rural health care. Based in Minneapolis, she reports primarily on the Upper Midwest.

An ad for the 988 crisis line.

Most states have yet to permanently fund 988. Call centers want certainty.

By: - September 8, 2023

This story was produced by KFF Health News. Since the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline transitioned a year ago to the three-digit crisis phone number 988, there has been a 33% increase in the number of calls, chats and texts to the hotline. But even with that early sign of success, the program’s financial future is […]

A dental therapist works on a patient.

States turn to dental therapists to fill care gaps, including in underserved rural areas

By: - June 27, 2023

FERGUS FALLS, Minn. — All six of Michelle Ehlert’s children have Medicaid plans that should cover their dental care. But for years, she and her husband paid for dental care out-of-pocket — sometimes thousands of dollars a year. They couldn’t find a dentist near their home in Wilkin County, Minnesota, who accepted Medicaid. When a […]