California's psychiatric hospitals can be highly dangerous places, both for patients and staff. Lost work days and overtime pay are huge. But reporters looking to track down reliable data on assaults face an uphill climb.
At California’s state psychiatric hospitals, ongoing assaults on staff by patients can make it nearly impossible to provide a therapeutic environment.
"There exists a class of hyper-polluters — the worst-of-the-worst — that disproportionately expose communities of color and low income populations to chemical releases," researchers write in a 2016 paper.
Experts believe they won't get the upper hand on the disease until they persuade enough people that a healthy diet and regular exercise can prevent it or minimize its damage if it has already struck.
This article was produced as a project for the USC Center for Health Journalism’s California Fellowship.
Other stories in the series include:
Tobacco companies put up a fight against California's Prop 56
UCLA SAFE program to help low income residents avoid second hand smoke
Climbing Fences: Obstacle
Nearly a quarter of HIV+ Americans will be incarcerated at some point each year. For some it will be the first time they learn of their status. For others, it will be the first time they receive treatment for HIV. Unfortunately, when they're released, 90 percent experience interruptions in care.
Toxic stress is becoming a hot topic in science and brain development. It’s also an emerging public health concern. Experts say the way to avoid toxic stress is through strong relationships that support children and their families.
In California's Sonoma County, an alarming number of tenants live in housing so run down that it poses a risk to their health and safety. For Karla Orozco's family, the hazards included mold, rats and cockroaches, a broken heater, and sewage backups.
The effect of squalid housing on people’s health is difficult to determine in California's Sonoma County, since there is no study, stockpile of data or government agency that tracks illness in connection with living environments.
When it comes to lowering high infant mortality rates, Rwanda has become an encouraging if unexpected example of what can be done with "big data made small."
