Kathy Ritchie

Kathy Ritchie's picture
Senior Field Correspondent - Tempe

Kathy Ritchie has 20 years of experience reporting and writing stories for national and local media outlets -- nearly a decade of it has been spent in public media.

Most recently, she was the health and caregiving editor at Next Avenue, a national digital publication geared toward people 50-plus. While there, she oversaw a team of contributors, identified opportunities for new feature stories and series, and oversaw the completion of the 2021 John A. Hartford Foundation grant, one of Next Avenue’s largest active grants to date. Ritchie was also responsible for Next Avenue's 2022 series entitled Aging with Disabilities in America. Next Avenue is part of the Twin Cities PBS system.

Ritchie has spent most of her public media career in radio as a senior field correspondent at NPR member station, KJZZ in Phoenix. While there, Ritchie was responsible for the station’s largest newsroom collaboration, a 10-part series The State of Aging in the Valley. She also pitched and produced a four-part podcast, The Recovering Caregiver, based on her own personal experience with her mother who had frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) and what life is like after dementia. The final episode was nominated for a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award.

Her latest podcast aims to set the record straight when it comes to menopause. Period, The End (But Not Really) debuted in September 2023.

Over the years, Ritchie has reported on the challenges facing LGBT elders, the topic of aging and intimacy, senior homelessness, ambiguous loss and grief, grandfamilies, and what it means to age in our society. Many of these stories have aired on NPR’s national magazine show, Here & Now.

And throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, Ritchie reported on the myriad challenges facing families, older adults and caregivers. That work led her to create a miniseries called, Caring in Crisis, in which she documented the experiences of “the helpers.”

Besides her professional experience in the aging space, Ritchie wrote about her mother’s journey living with dementia in a blog

Ritchie got her start in television at ABC News and later at FOX News in New York City.

Title Author(s) Publication Date
Judge: DHS Can Continue Collecting Medical-Marijuana Fees Kathy Ritchie May 19, 2017
Louisiana Lawmakers Back Bill Keeping Automatic Guns From Kids Kathy Ritchie May 19, 2017
Cases Of Cryptosporidium On The Rise Says CDC Kathy Ritchie May 18, 2017
Arizona Supreme Court To Review Child-Molestation Solicitation Ruling Kathy Ritchie May 18, 2017
Senate Panel Hears Testimony On Creating Age-Friendly Communities Kathy Ritchie May 17, 2017
Settlement Allows Full-Fledged Gambling At Tohono O'odham Casino In Glendale Kathy Ritchie May 17, 2017
UA Study Shows Virtual Support Groups Help Older Adults Kathy Ritchie May 15, 2017
Alzheimer's Disease As A Cause Of Death Is Underreported In Arizona Kathy Ritchie May 12, 2017
Bipartisan Deal Reached On Bill To Make It Easier To Fire VA Employees Kathy Ritchie May 12, 2017
Ducey Signs Bill Protecting Those Who Save Kids, Dogs In Cars Kathy Ritchie May 11, 2017
Arizona Attorney General Supports Expansion Of Medicaid Fraud Authority Kathy Ritchie May 11, 2017
Navajo Nation President Signs Bill To Replace Housing Authority Members Kathy Ritchie May 10, 2017
U.S. Forest Service Looking To Upgrade Its Fire Shelter Kathy Ritchie May 8, 2017
Banner Health To Cut Jobs As Part Of Restructuring Efforts Kathy Ritchie May 5, 2017
Arizona Heath Department Surveys Moms About Being Pregnant Kathy Ritchie May 5, 2017
Phoenix Prepares Emergency Plan Focusing On People With Disabilities Kathy Ritchie May 4, 2017
Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport Installs Adult Changing Table Stations Kathy Ritchie May 1, 2017
More Arizona Parents Opting Out Of Vaccinations For Their Kids Kathy Ritchie April 28, 2017
Arizonan Testifies At US Senate Committee On Aging And Isolation Kathy Ritchie April 27, 2017
Arizona Bill That Gives Businesses A Cure Period To Fix ADA Violations Signed Into Law Kathy Ritchie April 24, 2017
Phoenix To Expand Bike Share Program Kathy Ritchie April 24, 2017
ADOT Announces Sign-Contest Winners Kathy Ritchie April 21, 2017
Rainbow Bridge National Monument Gains Protected Status Kathy Ritchie April 21, 2017
ADHS: Flu Cases Down Compared With This Time Last Year Kathy Ritchie April 20, 2017
During An Emergency, American Sign Language Interpreters Provide Lifesaving Information Kathy Ritchie April 17, 2017

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