
Olivia Aldridge
Health Care ReporterWhat I cover
I report on issues related to health in Travis County and the surrounding region. My work centers on local health care systems and resources — how they fit together and how they function. I’m also interested in following trends in the health care workforce and state-level decisions that affect local access to medical care.
Plus, I’m game for the occasional fun tangent, like my obsessive search for a lost time capsule.
My background
I’m from a tiny, rural town in Georgia called Monticello. Growing up, I rarely saw places like my home reflected in the media I consumed, and I wanted to hear the voices and challenges of my neighbors amplified more often. That background is at the core of why I’m passionate about local news.
I started my career as a reporter and producer for NPR member station South Carolina Public Radio. There, I focused on South Carolina’s recovery from a series of devastating floods and hurricanes. I also delved into some fun local oddities, like a small town’s belief in a giant cryptid lizard creature.
My entry into health reporting came at Community Impact, where I reported on communities in Central and Southwest Austin. During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I led coverage of the pandemic in Austin, reporting on everything from the development and rollout of vaccines to hiring challenges in the nursing workforce.
I also spent a year launching, hosting and producing three local news podcasts for Community Impact covering the Austin, Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth metro areas.
Journalistic ethics
Radio may be an auditory medium, but I strive to be more of a listener than a talker. My best days at work are the ones where I get to sit down and listen to someone tell me their story without being rushed by a pressing deadline. I care about representing people honestly and with respect. I also care about being precise with the language I choose — every word carries weight.
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Salud Pública de Austin compartió los lugares donde el individuo enfermo pudo haber expuesto a otras personas al virus.
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Austin Public Health shared locations where the sick individual may have exposed others.
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Sarah Reed, an MS patient, will join some 5,000 other cyclists in riding in the Texas MS 150 this weekend, a 150-mile ride to raise money for the chronic disease.
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The Trump administration has been slashing funding for a federal agency that supports biomedical research across the U.S. UT Austin professors say funding from the National Institutes of Health is essential for running their labs.
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Beekeepers across the country have reported high rates of honeybee loss this year, but it's unclear right now if there's a main reason for their deaths.
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The lost funds will impact dozens of jobs and a range of programs, including vaccination efforts and medical services for refugees.
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Abortion is legal in Texas only when the life of the mother or a “major bodily function” is at risk. Doctors, who could face prison time for performing an abortion, have been seeking clarification on the exception.
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The spoken word poet and theater artist will document the city's big moments through poetry. Miller will serve a two-year term promoting literacy and the arts in Austin.
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Vaccine hesitancy was rising even before COVID-19 emerged – but the pandemic exacerbated the trend. More kindergartners are opting out of school vaccine requirements, and state lawmakers are trying to make it even easier to do so.
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Aunque en la zona de Austin se ha confirmado un solo caso de sarampión, no se trata de un brote. Dicho esto, he aquí una guía sobre cómo y cuándo vacunarse contra el sarampión.