Rachel C. Murphy

What do Shakespeare and I have in common? Words, words, words. I've been a freelance content and copywriter with side quests in journalism for more than 15 years. I focus on healthcare and financial topics--two areas that touch everyone eventually. 

New American Funding •

Seasonal Home Maintenance: Protecting Your Biggest Investment Year-Round | New American Funding

There’s nothing like the first few months in your new home. There’s a thrill in choosing just-the-right paint colors, finding stylish furniture for your space, and creating the home that you always dreamed would be yours.
But after the paint dries and you’ve settled in, there’s more to homeownership than just paying the mortgage. It’s time to think about home maintenance. 
Your home is likely your largest financial asset, so maintaining its structural integrity should be a priority. While home r...
The Military Wallet •

Tax Benefits of Deployment: Combat Pay, Tax Filing Extensions and Much More

Serving in a combat zone is mentally, physically, and emotionally difficult for both servicemembers and their families. Fortunately, the military attempts to relieve some stress by offering tax advantages on military pay to servicemembers deployed to combat zones. With a few key tax deductions, your time in the field can be financially beneficial. 

We’ve created your go-to guide to tax benefits and exclusions only available to those se...
Health •

DeMar DeRozan Drives Mental Health Forward for Athletes

As a child growing up in Compton, California, in the 1990s and 2000s, DeMar DeRozan was in a pressure cooker. Gangs, violence, and death surrounded him. He quickly learned to keep his head down and suppress his emotions, pouring everything he had into his life on the basketball court instead.

After entering the NBA in 2009, he broke records and won championships. Although he excelled athletically, he struggled mentally. And in 2018, he made a splash with a single tweet.

“In February 2018, I...
Health •

Al Roker at 70: Sharing Health, Family, and Wellness Wisdom

For some, the day doesn’t start without coffee and the friendly faces of The Today Show. As a regular on the show since 1996, weather presenter, journalist, and host Al Roker has brought more than a little sunshine to American audiences.

In addition to the daily forecast, the jovial morning show institution has shown audiences the importance of health and wellness. After undergoing gastric bypass surgery in 2002, Roker lost 150 pounds and has kept it off through sustainable lifestyle changes t...
Health •

The 2025 Health Advocacy Awards: Honoring the Voices Making a Difference

Every person has a story—but only a few tell theirs to the world. Health is excited to introduce the Health Advocacy Awards, honoring the people, patients, and healthcare professionals who are willing to speak their truth so that others might feel seen. 

In our inaugural year, we're excited to highlight people who are using their platforms to advocate for patient communities or contribute to health research. They know what it's like to advocate for themselves and their loved ones and how diffi...
New American Funding •

Homeowners in Need of Cash: Choosing Between a Cash-Out Refinance or a Personal Loan | New American Funding

As a homeowner, you could be living in a metaphorical piggy bank.
Your home’s equity can be the capital you need to buy that vacation home, pay down high-interest debt, or start that renovation that will improve your quality of life.
You can tap into your home’s equity with a cash-out refinance of your mortgage. Plus, there are other options, such as personal and other types of loans. 
Your goals and financial needs should dictate which sort of loan you choose, said New American Funding loan con...
Verywell Health •

Healthy at Every Size? Here's What Doctors Look for Beyond BMI

A growing number of patients and healthcare providers are embracing the idea that a higher number on the scale doesn’t automatically equal poor health. Movements like Health at Every Size promote a holistic definition of health, focusing on individual wellness rather than standardized metrics, according to the Association for Size Diversity and Health.

However, this concept raises the question: If body mass index (BMI) and other weight-related metrics don’t define health, what does? What do ph...
Center for Media Engagement •

Midwest Climate Change Introduces A New Hardiness Map and Challenges For Local Growers - Center for Media Engagement

For Kansas City metro area gardeners, the latest USDA plant hardiness map revealed some surprises–many growers have watched their land warm over the last decade, pushing them from zone 6a to 6b. While the hardiness map primarily highlights the extremities of the temperature spectrum, they are a canary for what many already know–the climate is changing, and so are the plants that may thrive here. 
While many may welcome more southerly varietals, the shift has more significant implications. Eugene...
Prime Women | An Online Magazine - Redefining the •

Foods that Fight Hair Loss

If your brush is slipping through your hair a bit more easily these days, thinning hair may be the culprit. On average, humans lose between 50 and 100 strands of hair each day. But when there aren’t healthy strands to replace those swirling down the drain, hair loss can become an issue. Of course, there are shampoos and treatments for thinning hair. But if food is the best medicine, are there foods that fight hair loss?


Hair loss can result from several factors – genetics, hormonal changes, a...
Verywell Health •

Why All Your Friends Are Playing Pickleball

What do LeBron James and adults over 50 have in common? Apparently, their common ground is pickleball. The NBA legend recently purchased a Major League Pickleball team, joining the legions of sports fans that have taken country clubs, community centers, and senior living centers by storm.

While James’ wingspan covers nearly half the standard 20 feet of a pickleball court, a basketball player’s stature isn’t required for the sport. In fact, the ultra-accessible paddle game was created in 1965 b...
Money •

What Is a Balance Sheet?

Assessing the health of a company can be tricky. Luckily, there are financial statements that give investors, shareholders and employees a glimpse at the inner workings of an organization. One of the most important documents, a balance sheet is a snapshot of a company, showing its debts, assets and how much shareholders have invested, all for that specific moment.
A balance sheet is a financial statement that shows a company’s assets, liabilities and shareholder equity at a...

Amelia thrives thanks to the Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence - Children's Health

To know Amelia is to love her. She's bright, articulate and has never met a stranger. Looking at this bubbly 4-year-old, one would never guess her complex medical history. Amelia's adoptive mother, Robin, says this alone is a testament to the care that Amelia has received at Children's Health℠. In fact, Robin says that if not for the quick actions of the Children's Health foster care clinic years ago, Amelia would most likely not be alive.

Before Robin married her husband, Henk, she shared a dr...

Innovative lymphatic intervention approach – Children’s Health

Plastic bronchitis is a rare but serious diagnosis for congenital heart disease patients. The condition, which is usually a complication after Fontan surgery, occurs when lymph fluid builds up and leaks into the lungs, hardening into rubbery casts that can cause difficulty breathing.  Only a small handful of U.S. hospitals regularly treat plastic bronchitis, which usually involves accessing the lymphatic system (thoracic duct and its tributaries) transabdominally. Interventional cardiologists an...
Solvhealth.com •

5 Ways Telemedicine Services Streamline Urgent Care Operations

The pandemic revolutionized the face of modern medical care. New vaccine technology was utilized, contact tracing expanded, and—perhaps most impactful to patients and providers—widespread telehealth became a reality. In fact, providers saw a 78% spike in the use of telehealth services in just two months in early 2020.

Fear may have motivated the initial increase in telehealth services, but many patients found that the convenience of receiving care from the comfort of their own home was somethin...
Solvhealth.com •

Are Your Claim Rejections Soaring? Accurate Registration Tools Can Help

You’ve streamlined everything in your urgent care business–optimized your marketing, integrated your EMR, and adopted telemedicine to ease staff burdens. But one thing can still bring your profits to a screaming halt–claim rejections.

Those claim rejections typically stem from small mistakes that have a significant impact–transposing two numbers in an address can lead to bills being sent to the wrong address, more work for staff as they try to reach out to patients, and delays in insurance paym...
Solvhealth.com •

How Live Urgent Care Uses Solv to Acquire Patients & Streamline Their Experience | Solv

Using Solv keeps a constant flow of new patients coming through the door. The intuitive interface from a staff standpoint helps decrease stress and allows for better patient satisfaction.
Higgins says that the front desk team loves Solv for its simplicity, pleasing aesthetic, and many functional capabilities.
According to Higgins, “It’s very helpful for people that we’re training because a huge portion of what they need to do on any given day can be done within one system. We don’t have to tra...
Money •

6 Best Short-Term Investments

Finding somewhere to park money for the short term can put investors in a tough situation. While it usually doesn’t make sense to invest money in the stock market if you’ll need it within the next year or so, it can also cost you to keep your money in cash in a traditional bank account.
Enter short-term investing.
Short-term investments give you easy access to your hard-earned money, but also ensure that money is not sitting idly in cash....
Investopedia •

How to Get Out of a Reverse Mortgage

Reverse mortgages are complicated financial tools that offer a lifeline for senior homeowners who need cash flow. But sometimes situations change, and those same people regret their decision. Is there anything they can do to get out of a reverse mortgage?

The answer is yes. Depending on your situation, it’s possible that the sooner you try to exit, the better.

Reverse mortgages are loans available to homeowners ages 62 and older. Instead of borrowing money from a bank to pay for a house or c...
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