Opinion: How California Can Lead the Nation on Access to Reproductive Health...
It’s been nearly two years since the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated the right to legal abortion in this country. To be clear, this is not a crisis limited in scope to residents of states with bans....
View ArticleOpinion: Older Californians Need Support to Age at Home. Funding it Is Critical
California, through the Master Plan on Aging, has led the nation in recognizing the unique and increasingly urgent needs of older adults. But Gov. Newsom’s recently released budget proposal for the...
View ArticleOpinion: Doctors Are Facing a Mental Health Crisis. We Must Make it Easier...
Our doctors are experiencing an alarming mental health crisis. Approximately one physician dies by suicide each day in the United States — a rate twice that of the general public and a loss that means...
View ArticleAnalysis: You Can’t Surf With a Ventilator. The Problems with AI in Health...
I spent a recent afternoon querying three major chatbots on some medical questions that I already knew the answers to. I wanted to test the kind of information that AI can provide. “How do you go...
View ArticleOpinion: How to Build An Equitable Service System for Californians with...
The developmental disabilities service system is developing a Master Plan for Developmental Services. We want to create a plan focused on equity for a community that is as diverse as our state. It...
View ArticlePunjabi Residents in Fresno Find a Lifeline in a Community-Led Health Program
Into the void left by a health care system that doesn’t offer sufficient translation services and an economy that demands grueling labor from low-wage workers, Punjabi residents in Fresno have created...
View ArticleOpinion: Few Californians Choose Medical Aid in Dying. Here’s What We Can...
California and Canada have about the same number of people – 39 million in California, 35 million in Canada. Both jurisdictions legalized medical aid in dying in 2016. Both have similar medical...
View ArticleAnalysis: How Healing Circles Can Help Create Stronger Communities
Trixie is a young woman in her mid-20s who recently left an abusive relationship with a boyfriend. She came to my workplace, Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center, in Santa Cruz, seeking help from...
View ArticleThe Catharsis of Accountability: My Healing Journey
With the help of a faith-based restorative justice program in Los Angeles I was able to choose forgiveness and find healing for myself and my son. I made a decision that I was not going to raise my son...
View ArticleHealth Care Districts Hold a Lot of Power. Here’s What to Know Before You Vote
Today, there are 77 health care districts across California, providing care for tens of millions of people, mostly in rural areas. Inyo County, where Bishop is located, now has two. But few community...
View ArticleMarginalized Communities Are Understandably Wary of Some Organizations....
When it comes to marginalized communities, there’s a historically justified suspicion of formal organizations. But there are solutions that all groups using restorative justice approaches can implement...
View ArticleHow I Used Restorative Justice to Heal Myself and My Family
For Lisbet Pérez, the restorative justice framework helped her family heal after leaving an abusive relationship. She was skeptical at first, but soon found a way to reconnected with her children's...
View ArticleMany Rural Californians Still Lack Abortion Access. Here Are Solutions
Two years ago, California voters overwhelmingly decided to enshrine the right to abortion services in the state constitution. And it wasn't just coastal liberals: voters in the rural north, Central...
View ArticleAnalysis: My Family Depends on the Affordable Care Act. We Can’t Afford to...
The Affordable Care Act has saved countless families with medically complex children, including columnist Jennifer McLelland's. Her son was born without a functional airway and quickly racked up more...
View ArticleIn the Eastern Sierra, Therapists Are Expanding Access to Mental Health Care
Mental health care workers are in high demand across California, especially in the rural pockets of the state. In the Eastern Sierra, providers are working to expand their in-person services while...
View ArticleMore California Kids with Disabilities Are Enrolled in a New Health Program,...
A new Medi-Cal benefit called Enhanced Care Management is designed to improve coordination and access to care for children with complex health and social needs. Enrollment in the benefit has grown...
View ArticleHow Rural Communities Can Fill Care Gaps for Children with Disabilities
Amidst a nationwide shortage of pediatric specialists, families caring for children with special health care needs in rural areas are often forced to travel long distances for care. Physicians and...
View ArticleAnalysis: How I Turned from Violence to Healing and Reconciliation
Twenty-seven years ago, Devon Gaster was in jail, but had started down a path that would change his life forever. Devon's experience healing himself and his family through restorative justice has...
View ArticleAnalysis: As a Former Attorney for Violence Survivors, Here’s Why Restorative...
Barbara Schmitz's early experiences as an attorney helping survivors of domestic violence file for restraining orders opened her eyes to the impacts the carceral systems can have on families looking...
View ArticleAnalysis: How Restorative Justice Can Bring Safety and Support to Survivors...
For many people, the holidays are an opportunity to come together with family and foster connections and belonging. However, for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, it can be a time of...
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