A 5-year-old's long wait for care is emblematic of a much larger problem — too few mental health providers for low-income kids on public coverage.
Health Equity & Social Justice
The series has received support from the Fund for Journalism on Child Well-Being, a program of USC's Center for Health Journalism....
Vigo County had the highest rate of child neglect investigations in the state in 2017 — 238 for every 1,000 kids, a Times analysis of child welfare data found.
As more grocery stores close than open in Jefferson County, some residents say they're still disappointed that the buildings will not again provide food to their communities.
Families seeking mental health support for children are beset on all sides by challenges, whether it's difficulty finding the right kind of help or finding out there is no help within 50 miles. Parents who are uninsured, on Medi-Cal or have commercial insurance face unique problems.
I met Ashley for the first time in March 2015 at a Noodles & Company in Indianapolis. Her adoptive father Craig Peterson had arranged the meeting. He initially reached out to me about an article I'd written, then shared bits of Ashley's story.
Ashley would be exploited, abused and, ultimately, abandoned by people who said they cared about her. And her invisible wounds would persist for decades.
Author and physician Sunita Puri talks to journalist Fran Smith about why journalists should be telling these stories — and how they can do so in a more thoughtful way.
A questionnaire helped a reporter find more than a dozen Louisville residents of different neighborhoods and backgrounds who all faced similar problems.