Elena Rivera
Health ReporterElena Rivera is the health reporter at KERA.
Before joining KERA, Elena covered health in Southern Colorado for KRCC and Colorado Public Radio. Her stories covered pandemic mental health support, rural community health access issues and vaccine equity across the region. She also worked as a daily show producer with Georgia Public Broadcasting and a reporter and host with Blue Ridge Public Radio. She has won awards for arts and culture reporting, podcasting and team coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Colorado from the Society of Professional Journalists.
Elena got her start as a reporter and producer at KBIA, Mid-Missouri’s NPR station. She has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.
Outside of her public radio work, she serves as a mentor to emerging audio producers and reporters as the captain of the New Voices program with the Association of Independents in Radio (AIR).
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According to a new report from the Commonwealth Fund, Texas has more severe racial and ethnic health disparities than other states in the Southwest. -
When issues like bleeding and postpartum depression are left untreated, they can lead to fatalities. Black Texans and other groups of color experience maternal mortality at higher rates, but organizations are working to change that reality. -
It’s been two years since Texas implemented new health education standards for students, but advocates say the opt-in instruction still isn’t comprehensive. -
New research underlines the importance of doula care in improving maternal mortality and morbidity for pregnant Medicaid patients. -
Almost 3.5 million Texans signed up for an Affordable Care Act plan during open enrollment, a record high for the state. -
Advocates argue today in front of the Supreme Court of Texas that the state's gender-affirming care ban violates the Texas Constitution. -
COVID-19 cases are increasing nationally after the winter holidays, which can mean more health risks like long COVID. -
Almost 90% of Texans live in a county where there's not enough mental health providers, according to a new report. -
A children’s hospital in Seattle is suing the Texas Attorney General’s office over trans kids' medical files. -
Medicaid unwinding exposed a 'crisis' in the system as more than a million Texans lost coverage this year.
