Health Equity & Social Justice

STI cases are rising, up 7% since 2017, disproportionately affecting Black communities and older adults.

Research shows that traffic fatalities remain a significant public health challenge, particularly for communities of color.

Chrystul Kizer’s case highlights systemic failures where young Black trafficking victims are criminalized, while abusers face little consequence.

Thousands of farmworkers are working well into their sixties and seventies with no safety net built for retirement.

Despite Medi-Cal expansion to allow all immigrants, regardless of immigration status, to qualify for health care coverage, some undocumented Koreans are leery of signing up and those who do face long wait times.

How young is too young for a child to be charged as an adult? 

Former legislator Cheryl Brown is the two-time chair of the California Commission on Aging. She took part in the advisory committee for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Master Plan for Aging and continues to serve on its Equity Advisory Committee on Aging and Disability. She discusses California's master plan on aging, and notes that “equity is about ensuring that we intentionally uplift the voices of people who are underrepresented, underserved and unheard." That includes communities of color.

Californians are living longer and the state’s aging population has forced policymakers to focus more on the growing ranks of older adults as they plan for the state’s future. Black experts in the field want to ensure that African American seniors aren’t left out of the conversation. Representation in research and recruitment in academia matters, but these remain huge unsolved challenges.

Also this week: Early window key for tackling long-term health inequities, and disparities in orthopedics affect everything from outpatient visits to post-surgery outcomes.

A new database from Spotlight PA makes it easier to track how Pennsylvania counties are spending tens of millions from their first rounds of opioid settlement payments.