“How you doin’?” It’s my favorite Southern greeting.
Since moving to Louisiana six years ago, it’s rare for me to walk down the street — or go anywhere, really — without hearing the familiar line. I’m annoyingly polite, so it took me a while to understand that, in this city, this question isn’t really a question.
Here, “How you doin’?” is the same as saying “hello.” Even after bouncing from neighborhood to neighborhood, finally settling in the Upper 9th Ward, I still get tripped up sometimes.
But, as Verite’s first health reporter, I truly want to know how you’re doing. How you’re feeling is more like it. Before coming to Verite News, I spent six years covering environmental issues across Louisiana. As you may know or guess, the quality of our environment has deep effects on our health.
I’ve covered how residents living near a chemical plant are worried that their cancer, miscarriage or breathing problems have resulted from air pollution. How extreme heat worsened the death toll from storms like Hurricane Ida, and how to protect yourself from the health risks of salt water moving up the Mississippi River. Even how solutions to climate change like planting trees can also improve public health.
I’m still committed to reporting on the intersection between the environment and health. Our environment reporter Tristan Baurick and I plan to collaborate closely, so let us know if you have thoughts.
But I also want to expand on that reporting. There’s more to public health than the environment, and I hope to dive into the structural forces that shape health policy and health care in southeastern Louisiana. Access is a big one, same with threats to Medicaid or Medicare. Inequity runs deep in health systems across the U.S., and Louisiana is no exception. Those disparities cut across race, gender, ability, nationality and more. So, let’s talk about it.
How are clinics and hospitals in New Orleans and Louisiana treating you? How’s your mental and emotional health, in addition to your physical wellness? What’s it like for you to work in health care or emergency services?
These questions are just a start. I want to hear anything you have to tell me, and I want you to share your questions, too. I won’t have all the answers, but I’ll do my best to find them. Ask me anything. Always.
I joined Verite’s crew of talented journalists because this newsroom was founded on the principle of public service. I’m committed to serving this community and this state – I hope you’ll let me. You can reach me at hparker@veritenews.org. I’ll be here.
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