Also this week: A sharp contrast on health equity in the presidential election, and California will now report Indigenous Latino health data.
Health Equity & Social Justice
Black men are twice as likely to be diagnosed and die from prostate cancer compared to white men, a fact that hits close to home for columnist James Causey.
A report shows California's Medi-Cal dental program still struggles, with fewer kids seeing dentists. Disparities in heart health, OB-GYN training, and telehealth access also persist across groups.
The closure of El Centro's maternity ward strains Imperial County's lone hospital, forcing many to seek care far away, highlighting rural healthcare challenges and urgent need for more resources.
Good mining jobs with good benefits can counterintuitively hurt access to care.
Shorter lifespans, elevated levels of asthma, high blood pressure, heart and lung disease found in Black neighborhoods along highways.
Farmworkers face health risks from pesticide exposure. Weak regulations and fear of retaliation leave many unprotected, as employers prioritize profits over worker safety.
"Learning to use sensitivity and trauma-informed approaches with my subjects became paramount," writers reporter Robert Hansen.
In the last six years, five maternity units have closed down across rural Virginia, impacting access to prenatal care. However, with the closures have come new models of care.
Young adults 18 to 24 years old who are aging out of the foster care system face the risk of housing instability and homelessness. One in five foster youth become unhoused upon turning 18. Young Asians are further hampered because they are not seen as needing support. This is the story of a twenty-one year old Korean American woman who faced innumerable challenges in finding a stable home after leaving foster care.