Duaa Eldeib
I report on health care and racial inequity, with a focus on maternal and child health.
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Send me tips and documents about health care, abuse of power, policy changes, Medicaid and vulnerable populations. Reach me by email or securely on Signal at 312-730-4797. I take the protection of my sources extremely seriously.
What I Cover
I cover health care, particularly as it relates to vulnerable populations, including those on Medicaid. I’m reporting on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, National Institutes of Health, Health Resources and Services Administration, and other federal agencies. I center human stories in my reporting and weave together hard-hitting accountability with the narratives of those who were harmed.
My Background
I joined ProPublica in 2017 and have written about the systemic failures that led to the U.S. stillbirth crisis, the ways insurers interfere with mental health care and the fatal consequences of delaying care during the pandemic. I was a producer and reporter on ProPublica’s documentary “Before a Breath.” During the first Trump administration, I wrote about the devastating effects of COVID-19 on Black Americans and collaborated with colleagues to cover the zero-tolerance policy for immigrants.
My series on stillbirths was a finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting. My reporting has led to exoneration of a mother who was wrongly convicted of murder and the release of young men who were incarcerated as juveniles and later sent to adult prison for minor offenses.
Before joining ProPublica, I was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune, where I was a finalist with two colleagues for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting. I’m based in Chicago.
Judges Are Locking Up Children for Noncriminal Offenses Like Repeatedly Disobeying Their Parents and Skipping School
Michigan’s juvenile justice system is archaic. Counties act with little oversight, and the state keeps such poor data it doesn’t know how many juveniles it has in custody or what happens to them once they’re in the system.
Still No Answers to Lawmakers’ Questions About Children Stuck in Psychiatric Hospitals
Years after a ProPublica Illinois investigation revealed children in state care were being held in psychiatric hospitals beyond medical necessity, officials still haven’t addressed it. “This has not gone away,” said one state senator.
Hundreds of Children Are Stuck in Psychiatric Hospitals Each Year Despite the State’s Promises to Find Them Homes
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services promised to rescue children languishing in psychiatric hospitals for weeks and sometimes months beyond medical necessity. But the state hasn’t delivered and the problem has only gotten worse.
Illinois Has Promised to “Infuse Love” in Its Juvenile Justice System, but What Will Actually Change?
A state plan that focuses on moving incarcerated children from prison-like settings to “dorm-like” regional residential centers is being described as a sea change.
Local Reporting Network
Opioid Overdoses Keep Surging in Chicago, Killing Black People on the West Side
Half of Cook County’s confirmed opioid-related deaths have been among Black residents, even though they make up less than a quarter of the county’s population. Officials warn that the COVID-19 pandemic has overshadowed the crisis.
Police Brutality, COVID-19 and Overdoses in Chicago Follow the Same Deadly Pattern
Our country’s long history of structural racism stands at the center of why police brutality, COVID-19 and the opioid crisis are disproportionately killing black Americans, including in Chicago.
Overdose Deaths Have Skyrocketed in Chicago, and the Coronavirus Pandemic May Be Making It Worse
Opioid-related deaths in Cook County have doubled since this time last year, and similar increases are happening across the country. “If you’re alone, there’s nobody to give you the Narcan,” said one coroner.
Families Were Grieving and Planning Funerals. They Still Wanted to Share Their Stories.
We spoke with families and friends of 22 victims of Chicago’s first 100 recorded deaths from COVID-19. Here’s how we kept reporting, and what those families want you to know.
COVID-19 Took Black Lives First. It Didn’t Have To.
In Chicago, 70 of the city’s 100 first recorded victims of COVID-19 were black. Their lives were rich, and their deaths cannot be dismissed as inevitable. Immediate factors could — and should — have been addressed.
Chicago Lakeshore Hospital Closes After Years of Abuse Allegations but Cites “the COVID-19 Pandemic”
A long-troubled psychiatric facility, which has treated hundreds of children in state care, shuts down but says the move is temporary.