Rick Mayer
Digital ProducerI’m the online producer for Health News Florida, a collaboration of public radio stations and NPR that delivers news about health care issues.
This is an important position at WUSF. In 2019, the typical U.S. family spent about 11 percent of its annual income on health care, so it stands to reason issues of cost, quality, access and innovation are consequential to all Floridians. Then COVID-19 came along, and the weight of these matters gained exponentially. I take our reporting on these topics quite seriously, as I’m sure you do, too.
Literally growing up in newsrooms and a little serendipity along the way prepared me well for the post. Here’s the abridged version: I’m a Tampa guy, graduating from H.B. Plant High and thrust into the world with my USF degree rolled tightly in hand. From there, it was three mostly sleepless decades as an editor at The Tampa Tribune, then developing and managing an online journal serving physician executives. There’s also my side job editing a statewide health magazine.
And being married to a longtime hospital nurse/case manager helps; dinner conversation often gives me a feel of what’s happening on the front lines. The good and not-so-good.
Of course, my time isn’t always spent flailing in the health news vortex. You’re actually more likely to find me breaking down the Bucs, Bulls or Bolts after a game, taking Oodle the poodle to the dog park or tinkering the backroom piano while vicariously reliving my former life as a musician. (Remember, kids: Parents of percussionists have plenty of patience. Plenty!)
Contact Rick on Twitter @rmayer2361 or by email at Mayer1@wusf.org.
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The circus, shut down in 2017, returns with a different look (without animals) late September, with and Tampa is back in its usual early January spot on the schedule. -
Gov. Ron DeSantis even proposed allowing the No. 1-ranked tennis player to arrive in Miami by boat to circumvent U.S. refusal to let unvaccinated noncitizens fly into the country.
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A week after the IT breach, the health system said more emergency patients are being accepted while “significant progress" has been made to bring affected computer systems back online.
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After three years of disruptions, first because of COVID and then a labor lockout, baseball fans are in for a touch of normalcy. Although, the Rays will host games closer to home this March.
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Ashley Moody is warning parents about the opioid after an alarming report found that children younger than 14 are dying of fentanyl poisoning at a faster rate than any other age group.
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Tampa Bay's captain is only the 47th player to score 500 goals in the NHL’s 105 seasons. He’s also the third active skater to reach that mark, joining Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.
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The diverging diamond interchange is at Overpass Road, which once had only a bridge over the interstate but now includes more lanes and a flyover exit.
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Community input can be given in person or online through Jan. 23 and will be considered by Mayor Ken Welch when he selects the winning bid to develop the 86-acre Tropicana Field site.
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The recall issued by the Texas Department of State Health Services comes after more than 40 cases of gastrointestinal illnesses were reported in Texas and Florida.
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An internal investigation found that Mary O’Connor violated regulations involving “standard of conduct” and “abuse of position or identification” after she and her husband were pulled over.
