Health Equity & Social Justice

Differences between the two sides of Coachella Valley in California are stark, but one has a particularly harsh health impact: access to clean water. While westsiders have pools, golf courses and sprawling lawns, parts of the east have up to ten times the safe levels of arsenic in the water.

Birth attendants can positively affect outcomes for mothers and infants. But access to them is often out of reach for low-income and minority women, who have the highest rates of infant and maternal mortality.

While access to insurance coverage remains a national debate, in the San Joaquin Valley, getting to see a doctor isn’t always easy, even for people who have coverage.

Not everyone is happy about California's new climate change laws. Local environmental justice groups say the policies do not go far enough to address the issue and believe they actually might hurt local communities.

Even when persistence and dedication enable a reporter to find undocumented communities willing to share their stories, outside events can tempt sources to withdraw. One reporter shares how she overcame this challenge.

Many of Buffalo’s children spend years battling the consequences of violence and PTSD. School is often the best hope to support them, but the Buffalo district has been slow to act.

Research shows that working in retirement presents both financial and health advantages. What keeps some people from reaping these benefits and can companies do more to retain older workers?

Homelessness is a health crisis, and the clock is ticking. With homeless life expectancy between 42 and 52, and half of the nation's homeless at least 50, it's not surprising that Orange and several other California counties have seen a dramatic rise in homeless deaths in recent years.

While U.S. teen birth rates have continued to decrease across all races and ethnicities, disparities persist. In 2014, nearly 75 percent of the teen births in Fresno County California were to Hispanic mothers.

Reporters Kameel Stanley and Ed Williams discuss ethics in journalism, with a focus on communities in crisis. They emphasize how taking the time to understand a community can lead to more compelling reporting.