Health disparities
Sleep patterns and social disparities
Only those living in neighborhoods that are part of gang territory can understand the challenge of getting a good night’s sleep. Gun shots going off at all hours aren’t uncommon, residents have told me, and after sundown road racing and squealing tires break the quiet. For many, anxiety never fully recedes that a stray bullet…
Read MoreDon’t Hammer with Facts to Shift Thinking – Share Stories
As a journalist covering climate change, I would invariably hear from skeptics of climate change. They didn’t believe the facts that virtually every credible scientist is certain of – human activity is releasing enough carbon dioxide and methane to dangerously warm the planet. And no amount of discussion really makes any difference, as we’ve seen…
Read MoreCoaches turn recess into fun, constructive classroom break
The kids obviously adored Coach “Trell” as she strode into an elementary school in San Pablo, Calif., jumping around her and asking questions. The coach, Shantrell Sneed, was with Playworks, an Oakland, Calif. nonprofit whose mission is to turn recess into a constructive, fun and healthy experience. When recess is largely unsupervised, conflicts arise on…
Read MoreNew laws reform high school discipline practices
This hasn’t gotten much notice, but a “listening campaign” in California communities by a major nonprofit led to a swift – in legislative terms – enactment of five new California laws to reduce high schools suspension and expulsion rates. The long-term result is fewer incarcerations and healthier lives. “None of us had that on our…
Read MoreLA residents advocate for second chance for ex-offenders
This is Vanessa La Blanc, 34. This photo was taken on Aug. 24, 2012, and it’s on a construction site in South Los Angeles where a remarkable construction project is underway. It represents a win for the developer, the community, and former convicts like La Blanc who want a new start. On June 18 –…
Read MoreAnother teen dream lifted up in Del Norte
Benjamin Thomas, 18, once felt like most other Del Norte County youth: He wanted to exit the scenic but economically depressed county right after he graduated. “The teenage dream is to get out of here as fast as possible,” the high school senior said. But like Makenzy Williams, whose story is described here, Benjamin joined…
Read MoreWhat’s your social rank? Status can influence welcome into a doctor’s office
Family physicians’ offices in Toronto more frequently rebuffed people of low socio-economic status seeking first appointments, even when there is no economic incentive to do so, a new study found. All Canadians have universal, publicly-funded health insurance. In 2011, researchers called nearly 400 family practice offices seeking a first appointment, posing as either a newly-transferred…
Read MorePoor housing endangers health
We had to laugh when we saw this offering on a mountain roadway in the Klamath Mountains in Del Norte County in Northern California. I was with Melissa Darnell, a community organizer working with a major privately-funded initiative to vastly improve the health of county residents over a decade. This one is a serious fixer-upper…
Read MoreHmong garden quickly thrives in Crescent City
This garden was a delightful site in Crescent City in Del Norte County, especially when the back story emerged. In the spring of 2011, it was an empty one-acre lot. But someone lent the land so the small Hmong population in Crescent City could grow a community garden they’d long wanted. About 600 Hmong…
Read MoreYouth outlooks brighten in Del Norte County
Makenzy Williams, 17, felt like many youth in scenic but economically depressed Del Norte County. “I wanted to get out and stay out,” she said of the Northern California county, which includes Crescent City. The Triplicate, the local paper, even recently mentioned the common sentiment. “. . . Del Norte youth carry a common motif…
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