Author: Claudia Boyd-Barrett

A Violence-Prevention Helpline for Those Who Want to Change Gains Ground in California

As a child of undocumented immigrants from Guatemala, Jacquie Marroquin worried that speaking to anyone in authority about her father’s abuse would put her family in danger of being separated, or get her parents deported.

Now she is trying to help other families like hers. Recently, she became the first California-based responder working for a free, confidential helpline for people considering harming a loved one.

What Has And Hasn’t Happened in the Year Since San Diego’s Devastating Floods 

About 5,000 San Diego-area residents were impacted by the historic downpour last January that led to dramatic flooding.

Extreme flooding events are becoming more common as the climate warms. But some residents impacted by the disaster insist there is another force that exacerbated the flooding: Decades of government neglect and indifference toward San Diego’s lower income neighborhoods.

California Kids Wait Months or Years for Specialty Care. Here’s What Would Help

California has a severe shortage of pediatric specialist doctors. The state has only one pediatric medical toxicologist for all 8.7 million children in California, for example, and one child abuse specialist for every 258,000 children.

The shortfall puts medically fragile children at risk for worsening health and missed opportunities for life-changing treatment and support. Many families wait months — and in some cases a year or more — to get appointments.

How to Make it Easier for Kids with Disabilities to Get Care

California has a variety of programs aimed at supporting the health care needs of children with complex disabilities. But accessing and utilizing these programs is complicated and time consuming.

The California Health Report spoke with several experts and disability advocates about what can be done to ease the burden on families and ensure children with disabilities get the care they need.

How to Get Medical and Education Services When You Don’t Speak English

The California Health Report spoke with disability rights experts and parent advocates about what families who speak a language other than English need to know about their rights when accessing health care and special education services, and tips on how to advocate for themselves.

Almost half of California residents speak a language other than English at home, most often Spanish.

A Model for Getting Domestic Violence Survivors Wraparound Support

Family Justice Centers are designed to provide one-stop support for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse, child abuse and human trafficking.

The goal is to make it easy for violence survivors and their children to get all of their needs taken care of in one place, and to spare them from having to visit multiple locations and retell their stories repeatedly.

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