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. 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 and what life is like after dementia. The final episode was nominated for a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award.

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
Report: AZ crisis response failing people with disabilities Kathy Ritchie Jan. 26, 2022
Many nursing home residents vaccinated, not boosted Kathy Ritchie Jan. 27, 2022
Medicare limits coverage of new Alzheimer's drug Kathy Ritchie Jan. 24, 2022
Program Aims To Give Free Hearing Aids To Lower-Income Arizonans Kathy Ritchie June 7, 2021
Experience Corps Pairs Older Adults, Kids For Learning Experience Kathy Ritchie June 1, 2021
Virtual Caregiving: The Struggle To Find Support Kathy Ritchie May 27, 2021
People With 'Criminal Issues' Considered For Nursing Home Licenses Kathy Ritchie May 24, 2021
Older Adults Don't Have Enough Wealth Saved To Pay For Care They Want Kathy Ritchie May 21, 2021
Program Helps Expectant Moms Struggling With Addiction Kathy Ritchie May 17, 2021
Report Focuses On Protecting Kids With Disabilities From Sexual Abuse Kathy Ritchie May 17, 2021
Many Older Adults With Hearing Loss Aren't Getting The Care They Need Kathy Ritchie May 13, 2021
Sandra Day O'Connor Honored By Alzheimer's Foundation Kathy Ritchie May 10, 2021
AARP Arizona Calling For An Audit Of State's Long-Term Care System Kathy Ritchie May 7, 2021
Group Resumes Delivery Of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine To Homebound Seniors Kathy Ritchie May 7, 2021
More Older Adults Experiencing Food Insecurity, Not Applying For Food Stamps Kathy Ritchie May 6, 2021
Ducey Shuts Nursing Home Administrators Board Kathy Ritchie May 5, 2021
Study: COVID-19 Survivors Face Increase Risk Of Death, Health Problems Kathy Ritchie May 3, 2021
How Childhood Trauma Can Lead To Poor Health Outcomes Later In Life Kathy Ritchie May 3, 2021
What Was Phoenix Like 50 Years Ago? Here's A Look Back Christina Estes, Nicholas Gerbis, Kathy Ritchie May 3, 2021
COVID-19 Changed The Trajectory Of Some NAU Nursing Students Kathy Ritchie April 26, 2021
Alcohol Use Among Older Adults Increasing During Pandemic Kathy Ritchie April 22, 2021
Effort To Phase Out Subminimum Wage Could Impact Some Arizonans With Disabilities Kathy Ritchie April 19, 2021
Long-Term Care Staffing Levels Still Low Kathy Ritchie April 19, 2021
American Sign Language Is Just One Of Many Signed Languages Kathy Ritchie April 19, 2021
Vaccination Site For Disability Community Offered Accommodations Kathy Ritchie April 16, 2021

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