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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Austin Police have said they do not believe the crash was intentional.
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El Texas Children's Hospital North Austin ha abierto sus puertas, convirtiéndose en el segundo hospital para niños que se inaugura en el norte de Austin en el último año.
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Texas Children's Hospital North Austin has opened its doors, becoming the second hospital for children to open in North Austin in the past year.
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Doctors have been hesitant about providing care because of fear of criminal prosecution. A new petition to the Texas Medical Board asks for clarity regarding when emergency abortions are allowed.
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Dado que mucha gente utiliza pruebas caseras, se necesita un mosaico de indicadores para obtener una imagen completa del COVID. Pero independientemente de lo que muestren los datos a nivel granular, la orientación sanitaria es la misma: quédate en casa si estás enfermo, cúbrete la boca al toser y vacúnate.
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With many folks using home tests, it takes a patchwork of metrics to get a full picture of COVID. But regardless of what the data shows at a granular level, the health guidance is the same — stay home if you're sick, cover your cough and get vaccinated.
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The nonprofit has supplied vulnerable infants with human donor milk since 1999.
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The union added 225 new members at the beginning of the month, bringing its numbers to more than 1,000.
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There was a substantial increase in requests by people who were not pregnant after the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision was leaked.
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The woman's lawyers had already announced she would leave the state to seek care earlier in the day.