Eilís O'Neill
Reporter
About
Eilís is a reporter covering health. She focuses on health inequities, substance use and addiction, infectious diseases, mental health, and reproductive and maternal health.
Eilís came to KUOW in 2016. Before that, she worked as a freelance reporter, first in South America, and then in New York City. Her work has aired on NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered, APM’s Marketplace, Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting, and other programs.
Eilís' work as part of a team covering Covid-19 outbreaks and vaccine hesitation in Washington won a regional Murrow award, as did a series about children who lost parents to Covid-19. Her series about the opioid crisis on the Olympic Peninsula won several regional Society for Professional Journalists awards as well as a national Public Media Journalists Association award.
Eilís grew up in Seattle and was a high school intern at KUOW, in the program that later became RadioActive. She has a Master's in Science, Health, and Environment Reporting from Columbia University. She lives in Seattle with her husband and two children.
Location: Seattle
Languages: English, Spanish
Pronouns: she/her
Stories
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Gonzalo needs a kidney. But he can't get one because he's undocumented
Even though it was noon, Gonzalo was lying down when I arrived at the apartment in south King County where he lives. His wife Ricarda headed down a long, dark hallway to fetch him. “I was lying down because I felt really dizzy,” Gonzalo said in Spanish. “I can’t--I can’t enjoy the day, go out, because I’m always unwell.”
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Tougher rules aim to save salmon habitat for the good of Puget Sound orcas
The state Legislature is considering toughening up the rules on seawalls in Puget Sound -- with the aim to help southern resident killer whales by protecting shoreline salmon habitat.
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Vigil draws more than 1,000 at Redmond mosque
Hundreds gathered on Monday for a Muslim community Interfaith vigil and Anti-Islamophobia teach-in at the Muslim Association of Puget Sound in Redmond.
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5 things you need to know about the democracy vouchers in your mailbox
If you live in the city of Seattle, you’ve probably noticed something called “democracy vouchers” in your mailbox. Those vouchers represent a major change from how city election campaigns have been funded in the past.
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Seattle Indian Health Board will shutter weekly clinic if shutdown continues
Unless the government reopens, the Seattle Indian Health Board will have to cut services starting this week, according to the organization.
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These Latina moms wanted to prevent asthma. They started with daycares
Asthma rates for African-American, Latino and poor communities in Washington state are very high. A group of moms in Tacoma decided to take on the problem.
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'Managing an aging pipeline is a bit like driving the wrong way down a freeway'
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Tourists feel the government shutdown as parts of Rainier, Olympic close
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This Christmas tree pesticide poisons kids, but Washington state hasn’t banned it
Hawaii and California banned or limited the pesticide. Gov. Jay Inslee is not considering a ban, a spokesperson said.
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This pesticide poisons kids, but it's still sprayed on local orchards — including Christmas trees
A court battle is currently raging over whether or not the EPA should ban chlorpyrifos nationwide. In the meantime, Pacific Northwest farmers keep using it. In 2016, Washington farmers used more than 200,000 pounds of the chemical on orchards and vineyards, and the majority of Christmas tree farmers also rely on chlorpyrifos.