The Health Divide explores the ways in which persistent disparities and inequities shape health in this country, with a focus on the role played by social factors outside of the doctor’s office. We look at the conditions where people live and work, and the influence of race, class and immigration status. We look at the health care policy landscape and efforts to close the gap between the haves and have nots when it comes to inequitable access and treatment in health care. The Health Divide explores the role of systemic racism and police violence as well as community safety and how such conditions can contribute to toxic stress and illness. Such factors can have an outsize role in determining individual and community well-being, influencing how long we live and the quality of our lives. We highlight great work around these themes in the journalism and policy sphere, and encourage our readers to weigh in with ideas.
A four-month wait to see a therapist was just the first hurdle.
Two years after the murder of George Floyd, it’s still tough for journalists to trace patterns of law enforcement violence in their communities.
"I never talked about this because it is taboo," said a Los Angeles mother of three.
Here's what a leading policy expert, a physician and a journalist on the beat are focusing on now.
A reporter goes home to L.A.’s ‘industrial dumping ground’ to find residents dying at alarming rates
Deaths spiked in Wilmington during the pandemic — but a reporter finds it wasn't because of COVID as much as pollution-driven illnesses.
And how journalists can track the story.
There were big gains in access among Filipino Americans, Latinos, and LGBTQ+ residents.
“COVID only made things worse. Delivery of services came to a screeching halt,” said one developmental pediatrician.
The state has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country.
The causes of poor health aren’t always obvious or provable, and that’s where knowing your community comes in.
