The Center for Health Journalism has teamed with ethnic media organizations in California to report together on health equity, immigrant health, community well-being and gaps in health care in a unique collaborative learning effort. Learn more about the initiative here.
With rising prices and the stress of stretching a fixed income, seventy-seven-year-old Luong Nguyen and his wife struggle to stay afloat. Their story reflect a growing crisis among Vietnamese seniors in Orange County who rely on food distribution centers as a lifeline to access nutritious food as a daily and medical necessity.
When SNAP benefits were paused on Nov. 1, millions of people were left without cash assistance to buy food. To fill the gap, restaurants like Al Pastor Papi began offering free meals to CalFresh (SNAP) recipients, food banks expanded deliveries and the city launched a philanthropy-backed partnership to distribute one-time prepaid grocery cards, but advocates warn that these pauses are only a preview of looming, long-term federal cuts that could push more than half a million Californians into food insecurity, with no quick rebound in sight.
Ninety-nine year old Ronghui Ye lives in a senior housing complex subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under the federal Section 8 program, which provides long-term rental assistance for low-income families. Residents who live in these units pay about 30% of their income in rent. Ye moved in 2000, after winning a lucky draw — a system now replaced by decades-long waiting lists.
Around 400,000 Californians could lose their health coverage if Congress fails to extend federal health subsidies before the end of the year.
For many CalFresh recipients across Orange County with large concentrations in immigrant neighborhoods like Santa Ana, Garden Grove, and Westminster, November arrived with empty EBT balances, stalled benefits, and no clear answers.
In San Francisco, a growing number of Latinos who work physically demanding jobs are turning to supplements like Artri Ajo King and related supplements to relieve chronic pain. The supplements are marketed as natural remedies for pain relief. But doctors warn of hidden pharmaceuticals that can lead to serious medical conditions, including liver toxicity and death.
Nicky Cao is Vietnamese, queer and trans. She calls it being a minority within a minority at a time when her identity is hyper-politicized and under attack in policy, rhetoric, and in practice.
For Vietnamese seniors living in a mobile home park in Santa Ana, limited English proficiency make navigating leases, code enforcement, or eviction notices difficult to understand. They teeter on the edge of eviction for failure to comply with the numerous demands from the management.
Unhoused and Housing unstable Vietnamese seniors gather on the streets in Little Saigon, communing with each other and preferring that "freedom" over shelters. Severe rent burdens, an aging population, and low labor force participation are factors that have increased homelessness risk in this population.