Community & Public Health

Some seniors there now say they are looking for ways to take as few prescription drugs as possible. And many are turning to cannabis as an alternative.

"We are overreacting to the need to lower opioid prescribing by punishing patients," says Dr. Kelly Pfeifer.

In Los Angeles County, the rate of deadly overdoses is much lower than the national rate. Why?

A network of regional "task forces" is tackling the opioid problem throughout California, leading to a dramatic drop in overdoses in one rural mountain county.

Many Philadelphia schools are incubators for illness, with environmental hazards that endanger students and hinder learning.

Alameda County saw a dramatic dip in its black infant mortality rate in the late 2000s. What can we learn from the county's success — and what went wrong since then?

Brain research gives insight into why abused youth are more vulnerable to exploitation—and how we can help them heal.

The 24-year-old Oakland law student forced to raid his student loans to pay for blood cancer drugs before dropping out with a pile of debt. The mother of two who faced a $1,000 bill to treat her family for pinworms using a decades-old treatment. There are stories like these in every community, and t

Teenage pregnancy isn't typically thought of as a problem for sexual minorities — yet their risk of pregnancy is often higher. The possible explanations are complicated.

This reporting is supported by the University of Southern California Center for Health Journalism National Fellowship.