As a doctor of orthopedic physical therapy, I’ve treated numerous patients dealing with severe pain who were at risk for or already have opioid use disorder. This condition not only causes suffering for the patient, but also for their loved ones.
Most tragic of all is that it could be prevented with better access to alternative pain treatments covered by the patient’s health plan.
The Sisters Rise Circle is one of about a dozen circles run by Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth, a nonprofit based in Oakland that uses restorative practices to address conflict and promote healing.
Organizers launched the circle last fall as part of a response to what they saw as a large, unmet need among the communities and families they serve.
Medicaid — which provides health coverage for almost 15 million Californians and about half of the state’s children — could face billions of dollars in federal cuts under a budget proposal from House Republicans.
That’s alarmed families like the Pequeños, who rely on Medicaid, called Medi-Cal in California, to pay for medical care and other support for their children with chronic conditions.
My son is able to live at home with our family, attend school and interact with the world because we live in a nation where disabled people have civil rights.
When I hear President Trump talk about eliminating diversity, equality, inclusion and accessibility, he’s not just attacking civil rights for disabled people — he’s sending a message to kids like my son that they don’t belong.
More than 10,000 unaccompanied youth have entered California each year since 2020, most of them leaving violence or insecurity in Mexico and Central America.
Even after resettling in their new homes, many struggle to access culturally competent mental health care. In response, Community Justice Alliance has helped its youth clients build community and express themselves creatively.
The Victim Offender Education Group, a restorative justice-centered program at a prison in Chino, is working to rehabilitate people who have caused harm.
The curriculum is grounded in principles of restorative justice, commonly defined as an alternative to punitive justice that promotes healing for the person who was harmed, the person who carried out the harm, and both of their communities.
Founded more than 20 years ago, Street Level Health Project started with a handful of nurses and volunteers visiting day laborer sites in East Oakland to provide medical assistance and other resources to newly arrived immigrants.
Volunteer nurses also noticed signs of hunger among the men, with some going days without eating a proper meal.
Even with advanced health care, the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries.
Cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of maternal deaths. But there are crucial steps we can take as physicians and health care policymakers to address this crisis.
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.
More than 188,000 families rely on California Children’s Services to help manage their care for their children. But when that care is cancelled, few families understand their rights.
A new toolkit hopes to explain families’ due process rights and provide practical advice for moving forward.