Shalina Chatlani

Shalina Chatlani

[email protected]

Shalina Chatlani covers health care and environmental justice for Stateline. She recently was a New York Times local investigations fellow, and in prior years has reported on the lack of health care access for underserved communities for the Gulf States Newsroom, a partnership between Southern NPR stations and NPR. Before that she worked at the NPR and PBS station in San Diego, the NPR station in WPLN, and Industry Dive in Washington, D.C. Shalina is originally from Jackson, Mississippi, and attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Shalina is deeply passionate about spending time with her adorable lab mix, Daisy.

Doctors and hospitals to see lower Medicaid payments in three dozen states
New federal rules likely will force three dozen states to reduce their annual Medicaid payments to doctors and hospitals by a total of more than $50 billion — potentially shrinking the number of providers willing to see Medicaid patients, according...
States fight to inspect federal immigrant detention facilities
Concerned about conditions in federal immigrant detention facilities but often barred from entering them, some Democratic-led states are fighting to enforce their own health and safety standards at the sites. The Trump administration, citing the Supremacy Clause of the U.S...
Census data shows US poverty rate drops to lowest on record, but experts are cautious
The official poverty rate in the United States dipped slightly by half a percentage point last year to a historic low of 10.2%, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Tuesday. The supplemental poverty rate, a more holistic figure that...
NYPD officers walk down a street in downtown Manhattan as part of the 25th anniversary of 9/11 memorial on Sept. 11, 2026. (Photo by Shalina Chatlani/ Stateline)
Powerful U.S. officials past and present faced families, survivors and first responders Friday at ceremonies to honor the 25th anniversary of the day 2,977 Americans died in terrorist attacks in Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania. At the Pentagon, Condoleezza Rice...
On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, States Newsroom editor remembers the heroes of Flight 93
On a rural stretch of land in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, an open meadow filled with bright wildflowers, a memorial grove of trees and a giant boulder marks the spot where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed on Sept. 11, 2001. States...
More rural hospital closures would mean long drives for pregnant women seeking obstetric care
In 14 states, the closure of the closest rural hospital or its obstetric unit would force many Medicaid patients to drive an hour or more to get to another hospital that provides inpatient maternity care, according to an analysis released...
Cheaper health insurance changed their lives. Then it went away.
Part 1 of an occasional series on how people are being affected by the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies. EDWARDS, Miss. — Every now and then a freight train rumbles through, creaking and groaning on the rusted tracks that...
Refugee admissions on track to hit record low
The number of refugees admitted to the United States during the first 10 months of the fiscal year is on pace to hit its lowest level on record, according to a new analysis. The new numbers reflect a steep decline...
States, cities try to keep ICE out of schools
On June 11, ICE agents trailed a car into the parking lot of Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore. For the family riding in that car, an everyday school drop off quickly devolved into chaos. ICE agents pulled Jesus...
‘I wanted the pregnancy. It was just so scary.’
Hailey Allred and Jessica Perigo don’t know each other, but last year they were both financially insecure and living in abortion-ban states, where reproductive health clinics and maternity wards have closed in recent years, when they unexpectedly became pregnant. Both...
Obamacare enrollment declines in 49 states
In 49 states, the number of people enrolled in Obamacare plans has declined since Congress made coverage more expensive by allowing federal subsidies to expire at the end of last year. The lone exception was New Mexico, the only state...
Cyclosporiasis outbreak surges to over 4,173 confirmed cases
The number of cases of cyclosporiasis — a parasitic infection linked to contaminated water or food that causes severe intestinal issues — has more than doubled to over 4,173 cases across 41 states this week, up from the 1,645 confirmed...