Poverty and Class

Beaches, sunshine, natural beauty, high-priced homes. In so many ways, Ventura County embodies the affluent, laid-back lifestyle of California’s coastal regions....

Mental Health, Environmental Health, Poverty and Class

I was nervous about the final story in my series from the start, since I'd need to feature someone who fell into the large group of “other” uninsured. Finding such a source would take me down a lot of dead ends before I finally got a solid lead and, ultimately, an amazing source.

Immigrant and Migrant Health, Health Insurance and Costs, Poverty and Class

When freelance reporter Kit Stolz began reporting on the obesity disparity between two towns in Ventura County, he found officials in one town happy to talk while those in the other where hard to get on the line. In this post, he shares some of his missteps and lessons learned along the way.

Poverty and Class, Chronic Disease, Environmental Health

Learning how to locate and use patient discharge data will make your reporting stronger and provide you with objective evidence for evaluating hospitals' claims. Such data can also lead to new story threads. Here's a quick-start guide.

Health Insurance and Costs, Environmental Health, Poverty and Class

Sign-ups for insurance on the federal and state health exchanges end in less than a month, and the state's push to enroll more Latinos appears to be paying off. Meanwhile, safety net providers such as Clinica Sierra Vista are focused on both signing up and retaining patients.

Race and Equity, Health Insurance and Costs, Poverty and Class

On Wednesday, the White House hosted a summit on early education where President Obama touted a $1 billion public-private spending package to bolster high-quality preschool and Early Head Start programs. That may sound like an education story, but it's worth remembering it's a health story, too.

Poverty and Class

Despite Wendy Davis' filibuster, Texas lawmakers passed strict new abortion regulations in 2013. Here's what one reporter on the front lines learned from covering the changing landscape of women’s health and abortion in the Lone Star State.

Women's and Maternal Health, Poverty and Class

The Michael Brown case has come to symbolize popular disillusionment with finding justice, but it's also about quality-of-life issues and resources for poor residents in places like Ferguson, a majority black suburban city where poverty is prevalent.

Poverty and Class, Environmental Health, Race and Equity, Community Safety