Author

Eric Berger
Eric Berger is a freelance journalist from St. Louis who has written for places like the Washington Post, Kaiser Health News, the Columbia Journalism Review, Religion News Service, Tablet, The Counter, the Jerusalem Post, Downbeat, the Jewish News Syndicate, the Philadelphia Daily News, the Riverfront Times and the St. Louis Jewish Light.
With a vaccine mandate looming, Missouri nursing homes face more staffing problems
By: Eric Berger - January 25, 2022
This story was originally published by Kaiser Health News. ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Jamie Smith, a staffing agency nurse who loves end-of-life care, said she has been warmly welcomed by staffers and residents at Frontier Health & Rehabilitation in this conservative St. Louis suburb. That’s even though she has not been vaccinated against covid-19. But […]
Concert venues bank on proof of vaccines, negative COVID tests to woo back fans
By: Eric Berger - August 30, 2021
This story was originally published by Kaiser Health News. MARYLAND HEIGHTS — Fans of the band Wilco could have reasonably interpreted frontman Jeff Tweedy singing “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” at an Aug. 13 concert at St. Louis Music Park as the universe explaining the past year or so. For example, 30-year-old fan […]
As holdout Missouri joins nation in monitoring opioid prescriptions, experts worry
By: Eric Berger - July 26, 2021
This story was originally published by Kaiser Health News. Kathi Arbini said she felt elated when Missouri finally caught up to the other 49 states and approved a statewide prescription drug monitoring program this June in an attempt to curb opioid addiction. The hairstylist turned activist estimated she made 75 two-hour trips in the past […]
Are public health ads worth the price? Not if they’re all about fear
By: Eric Berger - January 19, 2021
The public service announcement showed a mother finding her teenage son lifeless, juxtaposed with the sound of a ukulele and a woman singing, “That’s how, how you OD’d on heroin.” It aired locally during the 2015 Super Bowl but attracted national attention and has been viewed more than 500,000 times on YouTube. “You want to […]