Health

| May 17, 2013

Quick Read: When Medicare Launched, Nobody Had Any Clue Whether It Would Work

Posted by Lisa Aliferis

Washington Post WonkBlog reporter Sarah Kliff tweeted Friday morning that this piece is “fun with newspaper archives.” And indeed it is. Kliff embedded and artfully linked together clips from newspapers past, clips that tell the story of the Medicare rollout. It’s almost as if today’s Obamacare rollout news is ripped from yesterday’s headlines: “5,000 Aged … Continue reading →

Place Matters | May 16, 2013

Alameda County Details How Transit Cuts Harm Health

Posted by state of health

At first glance, you might not think that cuts to public transportation might affect someone's health. But Devilla Ervin understands the impact firsthand. The 23-year-old lives in West Oakland and a few years ago worked the graveyard shift at McDonald’s. “I got off work at 4 a.m. and there was no bus service," he describes. "And so I was walking in my community of West Oakland, with shootings and violence, 45 minutes to an hour to get home." Yet, in addition to the threat of violence, Ervin also described a sense of social isolation that he’s felt as a result of recent cuts to bus service in his area. Continue reading →

Wilmington | Jul 23, 2012

Starting a New Life and Putting a Stop to Health Problems

Posted by Anabell Romero

“Good morning!” says Silvia Cruz as she greets women who enter her nutrition center. “It’s five dollars for a shake and the zumba class, or three dollars for the zumba class only,” she says as she’s collecting the money and putting it into a metal box. Five years ago when Cruz and her husband Roberto Garcia came to the United States, they never imagined they would have their own business. The couple has been married for 25 years. After living a comfortable and stable life in Mexico, Roberto abruptly lost his job.

San Bernardino | Jun 13, 2012

Unmet Need of Homeless Youth in San Bernardino

Posted by Bobbi Albano

Although they are difficult to count, Terrance Stone, CEO of Young Visionaries homeless youth shelter estimates there are 25,000 homeless kids in San Bernardino County at any given time. The California Homeless Youth Project agrees. "Homeless youth are highly mobile and often try hard to avoid detection and contact with adults. ... This means they are often not counted during annual homeless surveys." During 2008-09, 81,000 services were provided by federally-funded runaway and homeless youth programs in California. While these services ranged from beds to street outreach contacts, it isn't known how many homeless kids received no services. There are only two shelters in San Bernardino County for kids who have run away from home, have been kicked out or are living on the streets. Young Visionaries, which has space available to house just four children at any time, is located in the city of San Bernardino. The other shelter, Our House, is in Redlands and has room for twelve homeless youth.

Medical Mistakes

Are California hospitals reporting medical mistakes and infections accurately - or at all? Learn about efforts to reduce these risks, and find out what officials and consumers can do to safeguard against medical mistakes.

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Disordered Eating

This month, Health Dialogues explores what experts call "disordered eating." We look at the causes and effects of abnormal eating patterns, from the less severe to classic eating disorders including anorexia, bulimia and binge eating.

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Baby Boomers and Medicare

In January 2011, a demographic tsunami will hit Medicare as Baby Boomers start turning 65 and become eligible for federal health care benefits. Are there enough doctors to meet the demand for care? Is Medicare ready for the Boomers?

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Mental Health

Health Dialogues takes a look at successes and unmet needs in treating mental illness - from adolescents to veterans, in rural and urban areas. We also check in on the effects of Proposition 63, the state's mental health services act.

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