KFF Health News journalists took to radio and television in late August and early September 2026 to discuss recent investigations and data-driven reporting on public health topics. Their on-air appearances covered suicide prevention, primary care shortages, opioid settlement spending and gun violence affecting children.
The On Air roundup, published Sept. 12, 2026, collects the appearances and points listeners and viewers to the underlying reporting and recordings of the segments.
Aneri Pattani, KFF Health News senior correspondent, discussed two threads of her reporting. On Sept. 1 she talked about how Louisiana sheriffs have spent opioid settlement payouts during an appearance on Attitude With Arnie Arnesen. Earlier, on Aug. 31, she discussed the role of loneliness and isolation as part of preventing suicide on Good Faith Media’s Our Stigma. The On Air post links to both broadcast recordings and to Pattani’s written reporting: a piece tracing how sheriffs received 20% of a state’s opioid settlement money, and a separate story on social connections such as trivia nights and Valentine’s cards as potential preventive measures for suicide.
Renuka Rayasam, KFF Health News senior correspondent, appeared on PBS News’ Horizons on Aug. 28. Her segment focused on reporting about primary care shortages. The On Air post provides a link to the Horizons video of Rayasam’s appearance.
Daniel Chang, KFF Health News Florida correspondent, went on Fox 13 Tampa Bay on Aug. 26 to explain his reporting on how gun violence affects Florida’s children. The On Air item points readers to Chang’s piece that analyzes the toll of gun violence on Black and Latino children in Florida and links to the Fox 13 segment.
Each appearance connected broadcast audiences to longer-form reporting that examines public health problems through data and local storylines. Airtime on regional and national programs can bring specialized reporting to broader publics who may not otherwise encounter the original investigations or analyses.
Pattani’s reporting ties two related but distinct policy debates together: how opioid settlement funds are allocated at the state and local levels, and how community-based social connections factor into efforts to prevent suicide. Rayasam’s appearance highlighted workforce and access challenges in primary care, while Chang focused attention on the geographic and racial disparities of gun violence’s impact on children in Florida.
The KFF Health News On Air post provides direct links to each broadcast recording and to the underlying articles. Those include Pattani’s reporting on Louisiana sheriffs and opioid settlement spending, her feature about social connections and suicide prevention, Rayasam’s reporting on primary care shortages, and Chang’s article on gun violence and its effects on Black and Latino children in Florida. The On Air page is intended as a hub for readers to follow both the broadcast conversations and the written coverage.
The On Air roundup sits among other recent KFF Health News compilations that collect journalists’ appearances on topical issues. The site’s On Air archive includes earlier collections that covered vaccines, maternal health, opioid settlements and other public health topics throughout 2025 and 2026. Links to those prior roundups appear on the page alongside the Sept. 12, 2026 entry.
KFF Health News also maintains related topic pages — for example on Mental Health, Guns, Opioids and state coverage such as Florida — so readers can explore connected reporting and follow-up pieces.
The On Air post encourages readers and listeners to watch or listen to the linked segments for the complete interviews and to read the original reporting for full details. It also invites readers to contact the KFF Health News team with questions or comments.
KFF Health News promotes additional ways to follow its journalism, including subscribing to email updates and following the organization on social media platforms listed on the On Air page. The site also points readers to its Podcasts, Special Reports and Morning Briefing for ongoing reporting on these and other health policy and public health issues.
The Sept. 12, 2026 On Air item references recent On Air entries from July and August 2026, which showcased reporting on topics such as opioid settlement spending, maternal health devices, vaccines and other public health concerns. Those links provide readers with further context and continuity in the outlet’s coverage.
For listeners who want to hear the conversations in full, the On Air post links to the specific broadcast audio and video files where available. For readers who want to dig into the data and reporting that informed the segments, the post links to the KFF Health News articles cited in each appearance.
The On Air page includes a general invitation for questions and comments and supplies a Contact Us link for readers who want to reach the newsroom directly. The page also lists ways to subscribe and follow KFF Health News on social platforms for updates on future reporting and broadcast appearances.
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