The Old And Young Of The Ohio Valley Cope With Coronavirus

On this West Virginia Morning, we hear how young people in Appalachia are supporting each other during the coronavirus pandemic, and how the pandemic is affecting nursing homes throughout the Ohio Valley. Plus: a new program aims to support postpartum moms.

The coronavirus is taking a terrible toll on nursing homes in the Ohio Valley. Well over a thousand residents and staff at nursing homes in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia have tested positive for COVID-19, and dozens have died.

Residents in these facilities are already more vulnerable, and in many cases were running low on protective equipment before the pandemic. Becca Schimmel has more.

The coronavirus pandemic is affecting all of our lives, whether we’re working from home, worried for our health, or unexpectedly out of a job. The change can be especially hard for young people, who may depend on hourly jobs or university meal plans to get by. Sydney Boles brings us the story of a group of young people banding together to help one another through it all, using a strategy called mutual aid.

One in nine new moms will experience postpartum depression or anxiety. And giving birth during a pandemic makes an uncertain time even more stressful. Mon Health just launched a new program aimed at supporting new parents. Kara Lofton spoke to nurse navigator Jennifer Bender who is heading up the new program, which aims to screen, follow up and provide support services for new moms and families

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Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University.