Decades ago we made our criminal justice policies tougher, but in a way that turned out to be neither just nor equitable. As the prison population has soared, we've come to realize our justice system is also terrible for your health. And the forces driving lockups and bad health are often the same.
The Ebola outbreak of 2014 has dramatically changed hospitals and clinics across the U.S. Experts across the country say that protocols have changed for the better. But will it be enough when the next pandemic hits?
Many homeless people have severe mental disorders yet remain on the streets for months or even years. The challenge for social service providers and authorities is that these vulnerable and sometimes volatile people often refuse help.
A Cultural Services Unit established by Minnesota's public health authorities to work with minority communities became a boon to West Africans living in the state during the Ebola crisis. Together they fought stigma and helped loved ones living in the hot zone of the outbreak.
Among Ventura County’s chronically homeless, 37 percent reported a mental illness in the 2015 count. Some officials believe the real percentage is likely higher because the annual survey relies on homeless people self-reporting mental illness, and some may not realize it or don’t want to admit it.
Prostate cancer survivor Freddie Muse talks to men at church, at barbershops, everywhere he goes. This, researchers say, is the best way to reduce the disparity among cancer screening and survival rates.
Rhode Island’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families is struggling to cope with an influx of neglect and abuse cases and has run into financial trouble. Reporter Kristin Gourlay explores how a national "home visiting" program aims to keep families from entering the system in the first place.
Rhode Island doesn’t have enough foster families to meet a growing need. That’s one reason the state's child welfare agency places a higher percentage of kids in group homes than almost any other state. Officials acknowledge the problem, but recruiting new foster families has been tough.
Each year, about 140,000 Americans are diagnosed with colon cancer, and more than 50,000 die from it. That’s bad news, but for African-Americans, it’s even worse. KCRW reporter Avishay Artsy explains why.
Colorectal cancer is preventable. But the invasive test that’s required for early detection often scares people. Researchers say a much higher percentage of African-Americans, compared with other groups, don’t sign up for the procedure. The consequences can be fatal.
