A reporter shares a handful of investigative reporting techniques that proved essential in overcoming blind spots among local health experts who were largely unaware of opioids' toll in their communities.
Mental Health
Even when the facts are presented and real people share their stories, some readers don’t believe it.
A Cotati woman describes a fragmented system of mental health care that at times treated her with dignity while at others like a criminal or animal. A Santa Rosa mother decries a system of services that abandons all but the wealthy and very poor.
Incarcerating parents can have a major mental health impact on the children left behind and lead to risky behaviors, even as those kids become adults.
Kemberly Mahiri shows me one of the hundreds of thank you cards she and other counselors for Sonoma County's Teen Parent Program have received. “It just chokes me up every single time,” Mahiri tells me.
For nearly a year, the former competitors have gathered daily to share information on patients and staffing.
When stories make bold claims about life expectancies chopped by decades or rates of chronic diseases skyrocketing for those with higher scores, they can create heightened anxiety without a real solution.
Nearly 10,000 people in San Francisco are homeless, with a nightly shelter bed waitlist that hasn’t dropped below 1,000 in more than a year.
Last November, I sought to get at the financial impact of more ER visits. Data showed an 18% jump in ER visits in San Diego from 2012 to 2017, reflecting a statewide trend.
As women and mothers, we are astonished at the reported conditions. But as pediatricians, we are deeply concerned about the long-term health impacts of these kids are likely to face.